Wendy van Hoek-Graat

Wendy van Hoek-Graat serves as a Teacher-Researcher at Avans University of Applied Sciences within the Academy for Management and Finance (Breda) and the Equal Opportunities for Healthy Choices research group. Since 2015, she has functioned as a teacher coach for the Business Administration program, developing educational initiatives and mentoring students at the Business Consultancy Bureau while shaping institutional strategy for student well-being.

Her educational foundation includes a Strategic Marketing Management degree from Tilburg University (2000), complemented by corporate experience at Akzo Nobel (Organon), Philips, and CZ where she honed skills in target group analysis, product development, and stakeholder engagement.

Wendy's research centers on two critical domains: gifted students in HBO—investigating identification methods and awareness strategies to help students leverage their abilities through autonomy-supportive environments—and student well-being—designing curriculum-integrated approaches to build self-confidence, coping mechanisms, and learning competencies that empower students to make energy-sustaining academic and career choices. Her work bridges psychological insight with practical educational frameworks.

In advisory capacities, she guides graduation projects, supervises student research for the lectorate, and collaborates with Module Development Teams to embed well-being initiatives into curricula. She actively builds cross-stakeholder coalitions to implement student-centered interventions, applying her industry background to academic contexts.

As a core member of the Equal Opportunities for Healthy Choices lectorate, she contributes to creating inclusive educational ecosystems where diverse student needs drive pedagogical innovation and healthy decision-making pathways.