Join us for a night of ADHD liveliness, inspiration, storytelling, and advice from ADHD professionals and student peers.
This event is by ADHD’ers for ADHD’ers. ADHD LIVE welcomes everyone, whether you are ADHD curious or an ADHD Pro. It offers you the unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals (literally) and unmask. You will hear from ADHD professionals and student peers as they share their ADHD journey, wins, and workarounds. During this cosy get-together, we’ll chat about the main things influencing ADHD life and happiness from masking, hyperfocus, and impulse control to RSD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria) with honest and sometimes hilarious personal stories from ADHD peers and professionals. You’ll have ample opportunity to interrupt, talk too much, and share your stories and questions with a drink in hand.
This event takes place in Move.
Reserve your free tickets here.
This event is part of How Are U (HAU) Week. This week is all about creating space for you in a hectic student life. It’s an invitation to check in with yourself and each other. Find out more about HAU Week here.
Panelists:
Jeroen van der Kwaak is an urban planner at the Municipality of Rotterdam, where he balances a varied workload to manage the challenges of ADHD in structured settings like meetings and workshops. Born in Haarlem, the Netherlands, Jeroen grew up in a family where ADHD was common—his brother was diagnosed early, and his father likely has it as well. Jeroen was diagnosed at 10 and faced challenges with focus in school, though he excelled academically.
He later pursued architecture, landscape, and urbanism in Delft, where he completed his degree despite difficulties with his thesis. Today, Jeroen combines his expertise in urban planning with a thoughtful approach to managing his ADHD.
Luis Xertu is a Mexican and Dutch visual artist whose practice spans advertising, theatre, and contemporary art. After relocating from Mexico City to the Netherlands for his studies, he established himself as a freelance designer, collaborating with prominent theater companies. Today, Luis focuses on his independent work, creating mixed-media pieces that explore queer identity, transformation, and the passage of time. His innovative use of organic materials and visual storytelling has earned him recognition across Europe.
As a neurodivergent artist, Xertu has embraced the flexibility of his creative process to align with how his mind works. Through years of trial and error, he has refined a workflow that allows him to seamlessly navigate his attention, resulting in a practice free of the friction that once existed between his neurodivergence and his creative output.
Ashley Kalila works as a People & Culture Manager in a tech scale-up. She has discovered that her ADHD is a creative superpower that helps her thrive both in her work and life. Always knowing that something was different about her, receiving her diagnosis brought a deeper understanding of who she is and how to navigate the world.
Tesla Visser (she/her) is a structural engineering student at Delft University of Technology, where she combines her passion for building design with the unique insights that come from managing life with ADHD. Diagnosed in 2022, she’s been on a journey to find the balance between the demands of a rigorous academic programme and the nuances of studying with ADHD, bringing a relatable student perspective to this panel.
In addition to her studies, she explores a range of creative outlets that help keep her energised and inspired. She sings in a band, reads avidly, and takes time for activities like fencing, biking, and hiking to help manage her focus and stress. As someone who navigated the diagnosis while in university, she’ll share her experience of self-discovery, building support systems, and finding ways to thrive academically and personally.