- Student
- 20/05/2025
Jack is walking to Rome to find his path
If you ask Mechanical Engineering student Jack Schoneveld why he’s walking to Rome – because that’s what he’s doing right now – he’ll say he wants to taste as much of life as possible. As he’s the adventurous type, loves challenges, and wants to get to know himself better, one of his ways to taste life is to go on a 2,500-kilometer foot trip.
It wasn’t a given that Jack Schoneveld would be able to begin his hike to Rome carefree. The completion of his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering depended on the results of two exams. “One exam was graded a 5.3 but after the inspection and a discussion with the lecturer, the grade was raised to 5.6. The day before I left, I heard that I had also passed my last exam,” Jack Schoneveld says when Cursor calls him. He’s sitting on a bench near Simpelveld, having spent the night in his tent there.
On May 5, Schoneveld left his parental home in Tilburg. He has given himself until September, when his master’s program in Mechanical Engineering begins, to walk to Rome. Schoneveld says he’s someone who likes to entertain people, but is also looking for some much-needed rest within himself. “I’m adventurous, but also have a tendency towards philosophy. With this foot trip, I’m delivering a physical performance while also paying attention to mental and spiritual aspects. I’m seeking the balance between effort and rest for body and mind.”
Schoneveld already spent some time on honest self-reflection. “Do I want to prove to others what I can do or do I want to know who I am?” It made him trade in his goal of completing an Iron Man – a long-distance triathlon race – for the desire to travel as a pilgrim.
“At TU/e, I mainly gather content knowledge. Despite the electives, I still follow a predefined path. But I feel I also want to learn who I am as a person. I’m now taking the time to return to the core. Is this path right for me?”
Walking with that existential question in mind, he’s already made some progress. “I feel I really want to do my master’s in Mechanical Engineering at TU/e. Maybe I will go more into the direction of organizing, which will be possible. The master’s degree in my pocket will provide me with a foundation to explore how I want to continue my life.”
He’s on unpaid leave from his side job at Coolblue until September. He expects to be in Rome before then, but if not, it won’t be a problem either. “Then I’ll ask for some more leave and start my master’s courses a little later. I can catch up. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to be on the road a little longer.”
The student has already experienced that being on the road is starting to feel like home. “I’m not on a tight schedule. It’s a pilgrim’s prerogative to be able to freely face anything and everything that lies in their path.”
Schoneveld isn’t only thinking about himself: with this foot trip he also wants to raise money for charity in the coming months. “I put a donation link for Doctors Without Borders on my TikTok and Instagram channel, @walkforpeace2025. Proceeds will go directly to Doctors Without Borders. The target amount of 2,500 euros, one euro for every kilometer walked, was already reached on day two. Now I’m at 3,438 euros (which has increased to 4073 at the time of publication, ed.). I want to make a difference for people suffering from the global wars that are going on right now.”
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