Influencer Eunice Cijntje

Interview December 2023

“I’M A SIMPLE PERSON WITH A FUN PASSION FOR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY”

Young, driven, passionate, mentor with dedication to Innovation and Technology

By Angelica Parris

As children, we were brought up to follow rules. In middle school and high school, we know exactly what we want. By the time we get all the top-notch degrees, we finally get that high-ranking career going, only to discover that we have that hidden passion and energy to achieve different goals. Eunice Cijntje is one of the brains who achieved all that and was still not satisfied. Life is not a cup of hot tea it is more than that.

Eunice Cijntje is a young, driven, passionate, curious, resilient, value-driven, innovator, researcher, and futurist with a dedication to Innovation and Technology, but also dedicated to helping people to adapt to technology. She firmly believes in the limitless possibilities that are out there still to be found as long we stay open-minded and work together to reach them.

As her Big Why is to figure new things out on the one hand, she is also driven to make others adapt to the advanced technological changes that are underway as she thinks that everyone deserves to experience happiness. Including her own, as hard work needs to be balanced with quality time with her family and doing things that make her happy.

The year 2023 has been a breakthrough year which was highlighted by her presentation as a speaker at the International XR and Metaverse Conference in Las Vegas, and showcasing her expertise by presenting the groundbreaking case of the LAI Art Gallery on an immersive, Web3.0-powered platform. Meaning, that she integrated advanced technology (Virtual Reality) into the art community making it possible for local artists to connect with international artists in creating a platform to use as a portfolio for their work. In that sense, Eunice is reshaping the digital landscape in Curaçao.

Who is Eunice Cijntje and how to move to virtual reality?

“I was born and raised in Curaçao in a family of 4, a mom, a dad, and an older sister.  My parents are very important to me.  They are the ones who still advise me at 36, whether it’s job-related topics or situations that have to do with my career and project, even if they are about my crazy ideas. I might stumble in life, especially in the new era but they encourage me to find a balance between personal life, work, and accomplishments. That within itself is a true blessing. I don’t have children but I do have a partner. In that sense, not having children at the moment is giving me the opportunity to grow and to travel which is also one of my passions.”

At the age of 18, Eunice moved to the Netherlands, obtained her Bachelor of Science in Communication, and came back to Curaçao in 2011 to pursue her career in the communication and media industry.

“I worked as a Marketer in various companies with a well-known brand on the island, but I was not as creative as I wanted. I was not allowed to change things for the company nor work out of the BOX (as it was usually stated in the vacancies). I had to work according to the rules. In 2015, I started working as a guest lecturer at the University of Curaçao. It enriched my ability to stand in front of people to talk. I did not want to sit still waiting for an opportunity to knock on my door. Wanting to continue working in the academic industry (because of its opportunities and also pursue something different as a career path, I moved back to the Netherlands from 2018 until 2020 to pursue my Master of Arts in Media Innovation.

While living in the Netherlands, she found her passion, that is “The technological aspect of solving problems using advanced technology became my new hobby and passion. Basically, it’s about coming up with solutions to simplify daily activities to fulfill other’s needs (whether it’s for business or leisure) through the usage of technology. It is highly recommended to be able to somewhat use (advance) technology in that area.”

Dynamic

Eunice Cijntje is a very versatile and dynamic person. “I used to live in a country that develops and adopts technology at a fast pace. Living there, in the Netherlands, inspired me to become very excited and interested to also make it happen on an island. During the COVID period, I saw how everything that was not possible became possible, such as an increase in using websites optimally and, (more simple) delivery services to make our lives livable and easier. But once COVID has passed, I started wondering how is it possible that we adopt things and, somehow, we didn’t keep them alive. That moved me to technology integration. Unknowingly, I became very famous in a few years because of my projects. That helped me to roam on the island and show that you can move in a versatile way to get to people. I know that we can do much more for Curaçao. This is how I can help to bridge the gaps to use technology and keeping that human aspect that we love, here, on the island.”

Ivan Kuster and I spoke candidly to Ms. Cijntje. I learned energy healing from Ivan and now write for this interesting and exciting project.

Do you offer your product to entrepreneurs and large companies?

“It all starts with education. I give workshops to companies. Next year, I will be making more packages for entrepreneurs. Based on my knowledge and this year’s outcome seeing the reactions and feedback, I see that there is a gap in the market. But I will accommodate all generations, including younger entrepreneurs and upcoming generations. I use technology as much as I can to make my life easier. Last year, I was in Lisbon to present my first, recently published, research. While there, something triggered me to move to new projects to present in Las Vegas. That platform opened a large market for me.

Knowing that the number visitors of to real-life art galleries has decreased and listening to the needs of local artists about their lack of exposure, the LAI Art Gallery (a virtual gallery) was created to fulfill their needs and a proposal with Curaçao as a tech-hub was written for academic purposes. Local and international artists can connect with each other and other people. There are more possibilities with this new approach. It was a way to showcase how we can start bridging a gap using advanced technology. Ultimately, in comparison to the conference in Lisbon, this year I reached an International conference (in Las Vegas) without the support of Academic professors, which is a major accomplishment (internationally) in the Tech Industry. I invested in myself. The team I work with is now being led by myself with local artists and experts, and international advisors.”

“Immersive into virtual reality is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world.  My drive is to figure everything out and do something that nobody has done. It goes to the imagination, but how can I make my imagination become a reality? I also apply it in my personal life to help me reach goals in my life. I can imagine a good vacation, I know exactly what I have to do to make it happen. If I am not in the right state of mind to do something I cannot help others. Everybody deserves that happiness in their lives! I understand why everybody focuses on money but it’s not everything, yet needed to survive. So, as every human, I try to make it work with what I have. In the coming 5 years I would like to work on my Ph.D. career, focusing on (advanced) Technology. I want to focus on Curaçao and at the same time work towards projects that we can use locally and globally. As a personal goal, within 5 years I want to be working less so I can do things that I enjoy doing and spending more with my family.”

Challenges

“Sometimes it’s hard to have that balance, and sometimes I think I need more ‘me-time’ but I just have to make the time. I work 40 hours a week at the University of Curaçao and on the side I work on these projects (mostly by myself). Keeping up with friends and family is sometimes difficult to balance if you have a full-time job. I do all these projects that are demanding in coordination. Nonetheless, I do these projects because I get the support and I love it. The work is extra hard when you have to persuade people to believe in these projects because they are usually very novel. That is a challenge of acceptance and embracing. The financial aspect is something that you can’t ignore. We need funds and financial support.  If you have to work for yourself and do everything by yourself, it cannot be emotionally draining. I enjoy everything I do and don’t see them as work. I see them as my hobby. I can also be an overthinker. Then, I go back to my parents and ask them about the situation.

My dad always says: There is no such a thing as a dilemma but you have choices, he tells me how to make a list to choose the right way to go for myself. These are life choices. They help me to see things from a different perspective. The right friends are those giving me more ideas and suggestions to, ultimately, help me decide what is best for me with what I am doing and what I have. I am in command of my future.

To stay up to date with the world, I use all the resources I can find, such as articles, podcasts, and social media (mostly LinkedIn and YouTube) or newspapers. I try to listen to 2 or 3 episodes of podcasts or YouTube episodes a week about business, finance, technology, and personal development to have the right balance of information. Recently, I was advised to listen the podcasts at 1.5x speed to increase my listening productivity.”

Strength and Perseverance don’t have to turn you into a cold person

Perseverance keeps Eunice going. It can be good and bad.  “I was not all a success story or fun story. I learned how to deal with and cope with situations. So I don’t give up. I empathize with people and care a lot. I may give the impression that I am a cold person, but I have what many don’t have anymore.

I have my goals but I still do care what happens around me and other people around me. I turned my work into my hobby, it lets me learn about new environments and topics. I love traveling and spending time with my family and friends, those moments are priceless!”

More info or connect
E-mail: hello@eunicecijntje.com
Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eunice-cijntje
Website: www.eunicecijntje.com (coming soon)
Visit LAI Art Gallery – Log in through PC desktop, mobile application or Virtual Reality goggles.

One of the 250 Influencers

Eunice Cijntje is a young, driven, passionate, curious, resilient, value-driven, innovator, researcher, and futurist with a dedication to Innovation and Technology, but also dedicated to helping people to adapt to technology. She firmly believes in the limitless possibilities that are out there still to be found as long we stay open-minded and work together to reach them.

As her Big Why is to figure new things out on the one hand, she is also driven to make others adapt to the advanced technological changes that are underway as she thinks that everyone deserves to experience happiness. Including her own, as hard work needs to be balanced with quality time with her family and doing things that make her happy.

This year 2023 has been a breakthrough year 2023 which was highlighted by her presentation as a speaker at the International XR and Metaverse conference in Las Vegas, and showcasing her expertise by presenting the groundbreaking case of the LAI Art Gallery on an immersive, Web3-powered platform. Meaning, she integrated advanced technology into the art community making it possible for local artists to in virtual reality, connect with international artists in creating a platform to use as a portfolio for their work. In that sense, Eunice is reshaping the digital landscape in Curaçao.

What makes Eunice stand out is her collaborative mindset, illustrated by not only her use of mentorships of different people that add value to her professional work and personal life but also her willingness to collaborate with all those willing and open to work on new projects, to release at least one project each year on an international forum, and last but not least her drive to strategize on intergenerational approaches to involve all walks of life, for example, the soon-to-start tech workshop sessions for the age group of 55-plus years old to help them with their media and technology literacy.

For all these reasons, we consider her one of the 250 influencers on the island, representing the ‘Innovation and technological sector’. 
Look at the list of the Influencers we have interviewed or reported on, up to now.

The goal of the core group of Share2Uplift for 2023

The goal of the Share2Uplift movement is to: “Identify 250 leaders from all walks of life to connect, align and create impactful changes in all walks of life, which includes intergenerational collaboration by the end of 2023.” We will use interviewing Influencers, meet-and-greet events, “train-the-trainers”-programs on “Emotional Mastery” and “Intentionality “as national intervention strategies, to reach this goal on top of our goal to scale up the possibilities to connect, align and create impact via a virtual platform. We believe that by collaborating with Miguel Goede on the virtual Vision 2030 platform, we will accelerate the possibilities to connect the diaspora and others elsewhere in the world and on the island willing to constructively create impactful changes in Curaçao, to join.

As Share2Uplift, we are fully trying to align with this thinking of Center for Curriculum Redesign to promote this agenda in our educational systems and workplace. So, in that sense, we fully support any initiative to make our educational system 21st-century proof.

Share2Uplift aligners are those that:
– Create an inspiring vision of the future;
– Motivate and inspire people to engage with that vision;
– Manage the delivery of the vision;
– Coach and build a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision. These criteria are now being polished.

We also consider these 5 values the most important ones for Share2Uplift aligners. They are:

• Peace from within;
• Compassion;
• Respectfulness;
• Integrity;
• Responsibility.

As we will progress towards this goal, we will update you on the progress.