From HAN Bachelor in Communication to Client Marketing Manager in motorsport
Sometimes an opportunity comes from a person you met or something you got involved in at university, rather than from simply applying to a vacancy online.
Challenging job search
When she started looking for work 2 months before graduation, Sveva knew exactly where she wanted to be: the motorsport industry. That focus gave her a distinctive profile, but it also narrowed the number of opportunities available.
"Finding a job was quite challenging," she says. "I wanted to enter a very specific industry, and my CV is quite strongly focused on motorsport and automotive."
About a month after her graduation in 2026, Sveva secured her current position as Client Marketing Manager at ReFerox. The breakthrough did not come through LinkedIn or online job boards. Instead, it came through the network she had built during her time at HAN. A fellow student from Regterschot Racing, the racing team she had been involved with for four years, introduced her to the company.
Looking back, Sveva believes this experience highlights the value of getting involved beyond the classroom. "Sometimes an opportunity comes from a person you met or something you got involved in at university, rather than from simply applying to a vacancy online."
Learning by doing
While Sveva credits the HAN Bachelor in Communication with providing a strong foundation, she believes some of her most valuable lessons came from practical experience.
Through her involvement with the racing team, she eventually became Head of Communication, collaborating with people from different disciplines and managing fellow students. The role regularly pushed her outside her comfort zone.
You really start to understand something when you have to use that knowledge to solve a real problem.
Sveva explains that she often faced challenges before she had all the knowledge needed to solve them. As a result, she learned how to research, prioritize information, and apply it in practice.
"HAN gave me a good overview of what I needed to learn and gave me the tools and knowledge to get started," she says. "But actually doing things is what made me confident in those skills."
Her advice to current students is simple: say yes to opportunities. Exploring different activities, projects, and interests helps students discover what motivates them and where their strengths lie. According to her, university is the ideal place to experiment, make mistakes, and grow.
Opportunities beyond language barriers
Working in motorsport, an international industry, meant that speaking Dutch was not essential for Sveva, who is originally from Italy. However, she believes language skills can still make a difference.
While many employers increasingly ask for fluent Dutch, she found that relevant experience and a strong background can sometimes outweigh language requirements. If she could start again, she says she would spend more time learning Dutch because it can broaden career options and create additional opportunities.
Continuing to grow
Today, Sveva works full-time at ReFerox, helping B2B clients develop marketing strategies to promote racing simulator experiences. Her work combines strategic marketing with creative content creation, including photography and video production.
Alongside her role at ReFerox, she remains involved with Regterschot Racing as a photographer and digital marketing support. She has even taken on website development, another skill she learned by simply giving it a try.
There is always something new to learn, a new skill to develop, or a problem I have not solved before.
What she enjoys most is the freedom and responsibility that come with working in smaller organizations. The opportunity to take ownership, collaborate across departments, and continue learning keeps her motivated. In fact, she is currently combining work with a part-time master degree in Motorsport Marketing.
For Sveva, the journey that began with the HAN Bachelor in Communication is still driven by the same mindset: stay curious, keep learning, and do not be afraid to put yourself out there.
