In the 1980s, the first students of Turkish descent entered Dutch universities. Most were raised by so-called “guest workers” with limited formal education. Around the same time, Turkish Student Associations (TSV) were founded in Amsterdam and Rotterdam (Leiden/Delft), followed shortly by branches in Utrecht, Nijmegen, Tilburg, and Groningen. Laura van Hasselt conducted interviews with the founders and leaders of these associations across the different cities. Many of them went on to build remarkable careers, becoming physicians, entrepreneurs, and professors, thereby challenging the stereotype of the impoverished labour migrant.

This talk examines how these students succeeded in breaking the glass ceiling, why they chose to establish their own student associations rather than join existing ones, and how differences and rivalries emerged between the Rotterdam and Amsterdam branches. At a methodological level, it also reflects on the reliability of oral history as a source for reconstructing this type of social and educational history.