Future Game Changers | Nina Henderikx

Nina Henderikx

Hi, my name is Nina Henderikx and I am 21 years old. At the moment I just started year four of HMSM. During weekdays live in Maastricht, but originally I am from Ospel. Where I was born and raised. This is a small town in Limburg, closely to Weert. I grew up on a farm there, and it was in this town that I discovered my passion for hospitality as I grew older.

The Excellence Programme

I chose to join the Excellence Programme, as I am always looking for different ways to challenge myself, to learn, develop and grow. Within HMSM in the second year, I stumbled upon the excellence program. They said it was for people who were looking for a challenge and where not afraid for a bit of extra work. It got me very curious. After I received more information, I knew for sure this was something that I wanted to be part of. Challenge yourself, develop your skills, learn new things and meet a lot of inspiring professionals within the field. So when explaining all these amazing opportunities, there was no way that I was not going to do this.

I definitely developed my pitching skills, but also learned to think beyond simply coming up with a new concept or idea. It was a full journey, from creating the idea to working out the marketing, sales, and even developing a complete financial plan.
What I also gained was the ability to network and adapt to different situations. After all, anyone can have a friendly conversation, but learning how to present yourself professionally and truly connect with people in the field is something I definitely gained from the program.

I noticed I had an impact during the EMCup 2025. After the Excellence Programme, I, together with my groupmates Valerie, Amy, Pleun & Lucas, represented HMSM in this competition together with 28 other international hotel school. My skills of pitching and networking, that were further developed by the Excellence Programme, really showed and help me during this moment. All 5 of us did the Excellence Programme, and learned the same skills. During the competition, we truly made our mark with our unique approach, which was built on the skills we developed at HMSM and through the Excellence Programme.

Nina's Wings

I find it very difficult to know where my wings will bring me. I am always interested in the a new path, with new people, new challenges and new experiences. But I also know where I have already bin and what I learned there. So envisioning my ambitions and dreams, that will be a combination of new things and the things I already know.

My dreams include living within my town where I grew up, surrounded by my family and friends; but travelling and working within different places, maybe even different places around the world. It will be something where I am challenged, have to work hard, be surrounded by ambitious people, learn new things, but mostly be happy. I believe the most important thing is that you do something that you love and gain energy from.

A lot of different people but also moments have inspired me to develop myself to the person I am now. Starting with my family, and mostly my mom. She worked very hard to be in the place where she is in now, sometimes doubted herself, but always worked very hard to get where she wanted to be. She always stayed close to herself and what she finds important. The quote she always uses: “I have never done it before, so I think I can”. Alongside this, I have always drawn inspiration from the people I met along the way who carried a lot of passion and excitement. When they speak, they speak from the heart. No matter the situation or who they are speaking to, they truly believe in their words and what they stand for. Their passion and excitement for what they do have always motivated me to keep going and to choose the path I feel is right for me.

HMSM has amazing opportunities to spread your wings. The Excellence Programme, the competitions, and after and all the other opportunities along the way are amazing. But these programs are not the only part that HMSM offers to spread you wings. Trust from teachers, who give you the opportunity to develop yourself and grow, is what makes this school so amazing. The community and the willingness of everybody to help you accelerate is truly inspiring. HMSM is not just a school, but a community that will keep us connected long after graduation. It brings us all together, and we will always support each other as we spread our wings along the future.

I hope to be in a great and higher management position in 5-10 years, where people see me as a leader rather than only their manager. That I have learned a lot from other people and their experiences. And in the job being able to give others the opportunity to grow and develop themselves. I hope that the work I do at that time will have a meaningful impact within the company; whether this impact contributes to its growth or takes shape in another way, only time will tell. I would say that I will always bring hospitality with me to which job or place I will go. Because for us hospitality is almost just habit of doing, but that may not be the case for everyone. So wherever I will work, or will go, I will take the values learned within HMSM with me to show others. Making hospitality and being hospitable a standard rather than a privilege.

 

Nina's Tips

Nothing will come to you, unless you take the opportunity. It is so important not to wait for something to happen, but chase after it. If there is something that you might be interested in, just see how far you can get by asking and doing. Because showing interest and daring to step out of your comfort zone is something that people respect and will appreciate. Maybe it will not work out as you planed, but wherever a door closes another one opens. This is because you tried and showed who you are and what your potential is.