Ethan's journey in sports began thanks to the encouragement of his parents, who always believed in the importance of sports for a healthy life. "I never thought I wanted to become a professional athlete; it happened automatically because I started to love the sport so much." Ethan's love for windsurfing began at an early age, at just 9 years old. "I started windsurfing with a couple of friends and from then on, I never looked back." Initially, Ethan believed that to be a good athlete, you had to train hard all day. "Over time, I realized that there are many more aspects, such as logistics, recovery, mental health, fitness, and having a good team."

Ethan first heard about 21st-century skills through Qredits. "The first time I heard about 21st-century skills was definitely from Qredits. Initially, I didn't realize I was involved in these skills, but as I delved deeper into the concept, I realized I was fully engaged in them. Everything I learned during all the years of practicing and competing in windsurfing was a way of learning how to prepare myself to tackle the world or to defend myself in difficult situations. These are skills that are super important to have and develop as an athlete or professional in the future."

Traveling and competing worldwide helped Ethan develop critical skills. "I find that these skills start to develop when you begin to travel more to train and compete globally. You observe your competitors doing things in a certain way and start thinking and trying trial and error to see what works for you and what doesn’t. Everyone is different, and there are more than one ways to reach your goal. I realized that the more I could master 21st-century skills, the more efficiently I could focus on the details that would advance me in my sport."

Ethan's experiences have shaped his perspective on personal and professional life. "It influenced me in a way that every time I travel abroad and come back to Aruba, I see situations and moments differently. I finished HAVO and continued my path as an athlete, which means I didn’t go the 'ordinary route' of going to study in the Netherlands or the US for a few years and then returning to Aruba. I continued my path, doing a 4-year part-time online study in Business Management, and I can say that a large part of the 21st-century skills I learned was through traveling around the world. Up to now, I have a big image in the windsurfing world, can collaborate and partner with stakeholders around the world, and live the life I have for years to come."

The collaboration with Qredits Aruba and the IQ Foil Team Aruba was inspired by their shared vision. "We started with our project Paris 2024 and were looking for good partners. The IQ foil team had many people involved. We had many meetings with the IQ foil team Aruba, and when we made contact with Qredits Aruba and had our first meeting, we clicked right away. We are a young team, and we felt that Qredits Aruba understood our vision and saw the impact Qredits Aruba has on the future 'young professionals/athletes' in Aruba. We also saw that Qredits Aruba helps many athletes in Aruba achieve their goals, and we wanted to be involved in that. With IQ foil team and Qredits, I felt that we were all on the same page and wanted to do something special by qualifying for the Olympics and winning a medal, and motivating the next generation of young professionals/athletes in Aruba."

Training for the Paris 2024 Olympics came with its challenges. "I must say that there were many challenges we faced as a team and myself as an individual. One of the challenges is definitely the budget. We were always stressed about it. Windsurfing always remains a sport where you need to invest a lot. We were also stressed about finding enough time for a good coach. It's not easy to have a good coach for this project, but we managed to find a great one. Personally, my biggest challenge in the 2024 training was the passing of my grandfather. He was very close to me in my windsurfing career. He traveled with me and supported me a lot in all the good and bad moments. He was well-known in the windsurfing world and also in Aruba. But I know he will always be with me in every phase of my life."

"Hydrofoil is like gliding over the water at high speed. You can go wherever you want with less effort compared to windsurfing. It's a unique feeling, and you can enjoy your experience on the water much more. IQ foil (Hydrofoil) is a unique sport in the Olympic system due to the qualification process in our competition. We compete for 5 days, and the top 10 athletes from the 5 days of competition qualify for the medal series, which consists of knockout rounds. This means that everyone in the top 10 will have a chance to win the competition on the last day. This system "Only applies to us, IQ foil, and ensures a lot of excitement because many things can happen on the last day, and you can enter the top 10 positions and come out as a winner."

"The importance of being an athlete who can control all the 21st-century skills is that you can have mastery over more areas 'professionally,' including your sport. Don’t be afraid, travel as much as you can, work on these 21st-century skills, ask all the questions you have, choose a good team that supports you in this, and keep learning from your trials and errors. Realize what type of athlete you are and what works for you and keep pushing until you reach your goal."