Interview with Learning Support Center Coordinator Neli Minkova

By Soph Gautam

10 November 2020

Neli Minkova is Webster Leiden’s learning support center coordinator. She works to provide accommodations for students with learning disabilities. She also offers strategies in learning, exam taking and time management for students to achieve their full potential.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

NM: I grew up in Istanbul where I studied my bachelor in psychology. In 2010, during the 3rd year of my bachelor, I came to Netherlands to study one semester at Utrecht University as an Erasmus exchange student and then went back to Turkey to graduate. In 2012, I decided to come back to the Netherlands to study a master degree in Clinical Psychology at Leiden University. I've been living here ever since.

There’s a strange story about my name. I’m officially known as Neli here, but sometimes I’m Nedime, depending on the person. I was born in Bulgaria while it was under the Soviet Union. A large minority of Turks have lived in Bulgaria for centuries. I belong to that group. At the time I was born, Turks faced a lot of oppression and were not allowed to speak Turkish or have Turkish names. Although my family named me Nedime, I was officially Neli Minkova on paper. My family moved back to Turkey when I was a few months old and we were given Turkish passports with our Turkish names. I’m known everywhere in Turkey as Nedime Gokmen.

After many years, we took back our Bulgarian passports and my name there was still the Neli Minkova. At the moment, I have two passports with two completely different names. With my Bulgarian passport, I could study and live as an EU citizen, therefore I had to use Neli in the Netherlands. And that’s why you all know me as Neli.

Q: What do you do at Webster and what does your position entail?

NM: My position is called the Learning Support Center coordinator. I have a few different roles.

My main job is being the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) coordinator. I help students who have special education needs or any disability. A disability might be any condition such as dyslexia, a sight or hearing impairment as well as clinical depression or anxiety.  The aim is to give everyone equal opportunity to study and make sure that Webster can be inclusive of their needs.

Apart from that, I support students with time management, planning, prioritization, goal setting, one-on-one tutoring, etc. If they are anxious about an assignment or presentation, we can work on it together. I’m here to provide any organizational support that students need in their daily lives at university.

I also work with students on probation. Students are placed on probation if their GPA is below 2.0. If that happens, you will receive an email from me. The goal is to talk about what happened, how everything is going, and to find out how I can help you improve your grades.

Q: What kind of students come to you for help?

NM: Any kind! Apart from the probation and learning disability students, any student who is struggling with studies, time management or who wants to improve their academic performance. Indeed lately I have more students who are already high-achieving but they come for support in goal setting and planning.

Q: Can you take us through the process of applying for academic accommodations?

NM: It's a simple process. It starts with sending an email to make an appointment with me. Then I invite you and ask you to fill out a few forms and request your official documents from your doctor or psychologist about your condition.

Next, we would have an intake session where we talk about how you have dealt with the problem so far and what your needs are at the moment. We will go through the list of accommodations so we can see what accommodation would match to your needs.

It’s very important that information is kept confidential. What we talk about or the documents I receive from you are not shared with anyone else. If you allow me, I can share your accommodations with the faculty (whether you need extra time for assignments or special seating) but never the personal details or diagnosis.

Q: What is one tip that you would give to college students based on what you have seen them struggle with?

NM: Although it may sound very simple, writing a to-do list works like magic sometimes. They have a lot going on at the same time in their heads and the simple act of writing things down gives a relief, a sense of control and motivation. 

To make an appointment with Neli, send an email to learningsupport@webster.nl.