My passion, my love, my Volda 

Being active and outdoors has always been a passion and a way of life for Danish Anders Vestergård. But in Volda he discovered a new love. Luckily, his new love fitted perfect with his long-time passion. 

Text by Sonia Gonzálvez Juan and Daniela Elvebakk Mala

When Anders came to Volda two years ago, he had already worked as a tour guide and a diving and ski instructor. Moving to Volda was therefore a natural next step for him. 

– I’ve always been skiing, and I just love the mountains. That's why I came to Norway, to be more in the mountains. Also, I love the combination of fjords and mountains. Here I can do pretty much all the activities I want. It was an incredible opportunity to come here! says Anders.

A new love 

Anders is 28 years old, and he’s now in his last year of his bachelor's degree in outdoor life at Volda University College. And it was here, during his final year, that he found his new love.

I’ve always liked taking pictures. I got a digital camera when I started travelling, so I began taking pictures while I was on the road. Then, I started making small videos, but never anything serious. I just wanted to have fun.

Anders could choose which courses he wanted to take his last year of his degree. He decided on media courses, even though he never had thought about trying to make his photo and film hobby more professional.  

– Since I started, I’ve really loved it, I think it’s so much fun, to do all this media work and try to learn a little bit more about how the industry works and the technical aspects of it. 

According to him, the whole media program has exceeded his expectations.  

– There’s a lot of good teachers, they’re very engaged in what they do. Also, the program is very practical. A lot of the things we did, and that we are doing, are real activities with real companies. I remember last semester, companies were partnering with us to do something they needed for commercial purposes. So, we did real work, like you do in real life, and that’s cool, because you learn a lot from that.

Created his own YouTube-series 

This semester you can watch Anders’ new series, My Volda, on Youtube. The series is a result of his new love, in perfect harmony with his outdoor passion, and focuses on his life in Volda and its surroundings; showing breathtaking views, discovering new places and cool activities, and living the university life. 

– I just wanted to make more videos. To try to become better at it, and to become better at telling stories. So, I just talked to the camera. And even though it was kind of a challenge to watch myself, I kept making videos about my days in Volda, what I’m doing here and why I think this is a good place to study. 

Through his video’s, Anders hopes to encourage others to do what they love and to just go for it. 

There’s a lot of stories and different ways to live in Volda. I just want to share mine.  

There are many places to study media in Norway, but Anders couldn’t be happier about studying in Volda. He would choose it again and again. 

– If you like being outdoors, then Volda is the most beautiful place to be. Also, the student environment is quite good. There’s a lot of activities, festivals and things for students going on. Besides, the programs and courses that the university college offers, are exceptional!