Portrait of: Donna Blesgraaf
Meet our team: today a portrait of Donna Blesgraaf
40-year-old positive-minded Donna Blesgraaf has been going through a major career change since 2022. After joining Kuipers & Claassen as office manager, she is rapidly developing within the firm. And that doesn't come naturally.
Why Donna wanted to become a makeup artist in her younger years, she doesn't know now. But concrete plans she did have at the time. However, she never realized those plans. She left secondary school at Wellantcollege Westplas in Aalsmeer early. Not because of bad grades, but worries at home and preferring to have fun with her friends are higher on her list of priorities at that stage of life.
Sitting at home is not an option for her parents, so she has to work. Without a diploma, she went to work at the flower auction in Aalsmeer, where her mother also worked. Because she was still subject to compulsory education, Donna had to attend night school. Although she had a great time at the auction, boredom set in after six months. "Is this it then?" she thought to herself.
Once again, it is her mother who helps her get another job. She can work locally as an assistant to an elderly dentist. A strict boss, but she learns a tremendous amount there. She also later provides additional care to clients as a prevention assistant at a center for periodontology and implantology. During these years, Donna does not sit still. In addition to her work, she takes various professional courses and trainings. A wide range, from a retail concept course, social cultural education to an impression course at the Cavex Academy.
After transferring to an orthocenter in Amsterdam where she starts working as an orthodontic assistant, her career in orthodontics really takes off. With her training as an orthodontics assistant, local anesthesia in dentistry and intra-oral x-rays and panorama shots, she grows into an all-round employee, where front and back office work are also entrusted to her. In addition, during this time she also successfully completes her college education in Professional Speech Therapy. Orthodontics and speech therapy have great common ground, namely where the muscle action of the tongue and lips affect the position of the teeth.
Then she is faced with the choice of working as an independent speech therapist, or continuing to work as an employee after all. She chooses the latter. The increasing time pressure within orthodontics means that she can give less attention to clients than she would like. Especially where it concerns young children who find it exciting when they first visit the orthodontist for braces. A time of reflection on the future of her work begins. During this period of quiet reflection, she becomes pregnant. After the birth of her now third son, she enjoys the little one at home. A wonderful time she missed after the birth of the oldest two children.
After a few months, she starts looking for a job that is also compatible with the current busyness of her family. She responds to an advertisement for a part-time support position at the office of Jeroen Linnekamp, Linnekamp c.s. With her experience of front and back office work, she appears to have enough in house to start as an office manager at the renowned small office with multiple specialties in the areas of taxation, financial planning and accountancy. After working in dentistry for more than 20 years, she makes a career switch. Her spontaneity and caring nature will also come in handy at her new workplace.
When Linnekamp c.s. merges with Kuipers & Claassen on October 1, 2022, Donna and her workplace move from Amstelveen to Amsterdam. A few months after taking over as office manager, she starts studying Practical Diploma in Payroll Administration at quality training provider for financial professionals Marcus Verbeek Praehep. Donna is expected to take the exam in September 2023. Meanwhile, she supports in the office with tax returns and will make the switch to payroll one of these days. Apart from the work itself, the regular contact with clients really attracts her.
The two growing adolescents in the house give Donna a good excuse - under the guise of parental supervision - to occasionally enjoy scrolling through her social media accounts. Her family is number one in her life. Fond of good food, Donna loves to cook for her family and relatives, but can also appreciate a good barbecue party. Depending on the company she finds herself in, Donna will take a moment to wait the cat out of the tree. But a wallflower she certainly isn't. You're definitely going to find her on the dance floor.
Her caring is also expressed when she does years of volunteer work. Cleaning work for the elderly that is contracted out through an organization, with room for social contact to have a chat over a cup of coffee or tea. Being part of the parents' council at school for her two oldest sons, she also likes to roll up her sleeves.
In addition to her busy existence, Donna seeks peace in fun things that make her happy. Enjoying and being with her family. But also good food and motorcycling on her sporty Honda CBR. Or walking through the woods with her husband in the company of their chihuahua. Although she hasn't been on a surfboard for years, she has infected her oldest two sons with her sportsmanship. Both boys can regularly be found on waves and in the surf.
One of the things Donna notices in her current job is the appreciation she receives. Which is also expressed to each other. She is aware that this is often easy to achieve in a small company and also hopes that this can be maintained with the growth of Kuipers & Claassen. This personal touch also symbolizes her approach to clients. With her positive attitude, she would like to contribute to the energetic working atmosphere within the team.
Quotes
I am not a wallflower.
I'm a little goofy.
I am caring.
I am an open book.
I am a perfectionist.
I like honesty.
I like to put others first.
I make sure people can work comfortably.
I am a jack-of-all-trades.
Try and you will learn.
