Next year, VUB alumna Funda Oru will lead the federal electoral list of the Limburg socialists. The deputy leader of Vooruit studied political science at VUB, and even then she was committed to equal opportunities in education. “I’ve seen for myself how difficult it is to go to university if your parents were never students.”
How did you end up at VUB in 2003?
“Higher education wasn’t an obvious choice in my family. Before I was born, my parents emigrated from Turkey to Belgium. My father worked in the mines, my mother was a housewife and later a seasonal worker. She always worked hard to ensure that we – there were four of us children – had every opportunity. But she didn’t know how the system worked; I was the first in the family to go on to higher education. Via other Limburgers who were studying in Brussels, I went to check out VUB. Its small scale, the atmosphere and the university’s values grabbed me immediately.”
How do you look back at your student years?
“With a lot of nostalgia. I’ve long been planning to take my children to Brussels to show them where I studied. VUB opened up a whole world to me. Even the first time I took public transport from Heusden-Zolder to my dorm was an adventure. I was a very conscientious student. I didn’t just study hard, I also worked. I couldn’t ask for pocket money from home, and my grant didn’t cover all my expenses.”
Which course or professor stands out for you?
“I found everything interesting, especially in the first year: from psychology and economy to constitutional law, political science and international politics. But it’s Professor Machteld De Metsenaere who has really stayed with me. She set up projects for students for whom university wasn’t an obvious choice, gave them information, showed them how things worked… Via her, I went on to help the same group of people. I was on a diversity forum and helped to set up a buddy project. That’s how I learned that VUB is really committed to accessibility for everyone. When it comes to recruiting first-generation students, it’s a pioneer. Accessible higher education is an issue that’s still close to my heart. There are so many young people who are unable to take that step, and as a politician, I want to play a role in fixing that.”
Was it easy for you to find work after graduating?
“I wanted to be financially independent as soon as possible, but again, there was no one in the family to guide me on how best to go about it. Political science is a broad education. I heard through a friend that a large chain was looking for trainees. I was hired, but soon I found my true calling. In 2008, six months later, I started working at the study service of sp.a Limburg. My education helped there, of course: I knew about electoral legislation, how the Chamber worked. But the reality of politics I learned in the field: first in the study service, then as a local councillor.”
Are you still in touch with your classmates?
“The students from Limburg who commuted together every Sunday evening formed a community. We were taking different courses, but they were my home in Brussels. I see a lot of them still.”
What VUB values do you still carry with you?
“I believe that VUB helped to shape the way I think. It’s no coincidence that I’m deputy leader of the socialists. Today I translate the VUB values around solidarity and justice into politics.”
You push hard for a good work-life balance. Why is that topic so important to you?
“As a single mother, I experience every day how hard it is to keep all the balls in the air. And I see that I’m not the only one. Everyone does their best. You should have money left at the end of the month, and time left at the end of the day to do fun things. That’s not always the case. That’s why I’m an advocate of a time account: time that you accrue through working hard that you can apply when you need it.”
Do you manage to achieve a good balance yourself in politics?
“Honestly? It’s often difficult. If there’s a crisis, or there’s something important on the political agenda, then personal plans have to be sacrificed. My children understand that They know we’ll always make up for it. Fortunately, I can count on a good support network. But not everyone has that. That’s why affordable childcare is so important. I always try to be at home on Sunday mornings. We have breakfast together, then do our shopping at Jumbo. That way, we’re ready for the week ahead – and I don’t have to rush to the baker’s midweek because there’s no bread left!”
BIO
Funda Oru was born in 1985 in Heusden-Zolder. After studying political science at VUB (2003-2007), she began her career in the study service of sp.a Limburg, and since 2019 she has been deputy leader of Vooruit. Next year, she will lead the federal electoral list for the party in Limburg. She is a single mother to two children, a daughter aged 11 and a son, nine.