Andrew Enschede ’86 has achieved much throughout his life. With over 30 years of experience as a lawyer, he specialized in insurance recovery and provided general advisory services to multinational companies. Beyond his career, Andrew invests in and advises privately-held companies with innovative technologies, and is involved in strengthening Dutch-American relations. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Andrew is a devoted husband, father, and friend—roles he considers his greatest joy. Recently, Andrew added yet another accomplishment to his impressive list: Dutch Knighthood. In receiving this honor, Andrew joins his parents, both of whom were previously awarded knighthoods and are deeply connected to American School of The Hague (ASH), in sharing this royal distinction.

 

 

Receiving a knighthood was never the goal for me. I was aware of this honor from a very young age because my grandfather was both a Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau and a Knight in the Order of Netherlands Lion. I always looked up to him and knew that he had contributed so much to society. He led the Commission Enschedé that investigated the Provo riots in the 1960’s following the marriage of then Princess Beatrix to Prince Claus, led the Commissie Aantjes that investigated the past of famous Dutch politician Wim Aantjes, wrote the seminal textbook on Dutch criminal law, taught criminal law and procedure in both Amsterdam and Leiden and was also a justice on the Dutch Supreme Court. The level of his recognitions are extremely rare and almost never given these days.

 

My parents are both knighted as well. Both of them did it in different ways. My mom was the first in my immediate family to become a knight. She moved to the Netherlands at a time when communication with home was very difficult - ‘snail mail’ was the primary way. She had to reinvent herself and learn to be a part of a country that was entirely different from everything that she knew. The way that she built a new life and has engaged consistently to promote the Dutch-American relationship is nothing short of amazing. To this day, Roberta is still an active volunteer in the non-profit group Overseas Americans Remember (OAR) in The Hague. The group coordinates annual events such as the Thanksgiving service in Leiden each November, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute dinner, Dutch-American Friendship day recognition, 4th of July BBQ and 9/11 memorial service. Roberta also continues to work with ASH students through this capacity, by including them in the event programs - as speakers, as musicians, to share their stories - this remains a passion of hers to this day.

 

My father was recognized 7 years after my mom - like me he is a lawyer and handled some major cases that had significant macroeconomic impact in the Netherlands. He has also sat on ASH’s foundation [bouwstichting], for example, since it was established in 1990 when ASH moved from The Hague to Wassenaar.

 

As for me, a Dutch-American receiving the Ridder [Dutch Knighthood] honor in the United States is extremely rare - I was the only one during the 2024 Lintjesregen [the occasion when knighthood is awarded]. There are multiple reasons why I became a recipient. I have been a lawyer for more than 30 years and during that time have advised numerous Dutch businesses in the United States. One of the more interesting projects involved work involving coastal protection in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. However, while work experience and its impact is important, the recommendation does not happen without some significant volunteer work. In my case, I led the Dutch Club in Chicago, founded the Dutch Chicago Business Exchange as part of the Netherland-America Foundation, was Chair of the Dutch School in Chicago and currently am running several fundraisers for the Netherland-America Foundation. In addition, I was also behind the abolition of the Zwarte Piet tradition in Chicago - which was quite controversial at the time. The bottom line is that when you add up the work experience, broad impact and volunteer work, it seems that the Kapittel [Committee of Wise Men and Women] decided that they would recommend to the King that I be knighted.

 

As is tradition in the Netherlands, these types of awards are kept a secret from the awardee. In my case, I was told on a Thursday that I would be receiving the honor because it would be published in the state newspaper the next day. I was called by Netherlands Ambassador Birgitta Tazelaar and former U.S. Ambassador Fay Hartog-Levin who told me about the award. My wife, Steffi, tricked me by telling me that we needed to have an urgent call with my daughter’s school - I had a “what did she do now” moment until I realized that this was all a setup.

 

The next surprise came when I went to the residence of the Dutch Ambassador to receive my award. Numerous friends showed up. Ambassador Hartog-Levin flew in for 3 hours from Chicago to be with me and several local friends, including ASH Alum Kevin Roots ‘86. Angie Young, the mother of ASH graduates Michelle Young ‘90 and David Young ‘87 were there, and the next day we saw Matt Hoye ‘83. However, the biggest surprise was that both my parents and my best friend from ASH, Khaled Rabbani ’86, flew in for the ceremony. Khaled flew in for 24 hours just to be with me while I received the honor. It was a massive surprise.

 

How did ASH shape your path in life? Are there any standout moments or people from your time at ASH?

 

ASH has probably played an outsized role in my life - in terms of friendships, teachers and activities. The friendships that I formed at ASH are still some of the most important for me. My best friend to this day is Khaled Rabbani. We met each other in 1981 when we were in 8th grade. By the end of 9th grade, we were just about inseparable. By the end of High School, we decided to attend college at Tufts together. He is truly my brother; that brotherhood was formed at ASH. That friendship also taught me that we are all just people - we are more alike than unalike in the words of Maya Angelou. Khaled is Palestinian and I am Jewish. Despite everything that has happened in the past 43 years since we have known each other (and especially in recent months), our friendship has never waned or suffered as a result. The bonds that connected us at ASH have only gone from strength to strength - and that friendship has connected our entire extended families.

 

In addition to Khaled, there are so many people with whom I have stayed in touch. And, normally, if I know that someone is living in a particular place that I am visiting I often take the time to reach out. From my class, I still see Kevin Roots regularly, correspond with Mirjam Vreugde and Allison Noble, both still working at ASH. 

 

In terms of activities, Model United Nations was always a highlight for me, and I was fortunate enough to be the Secretary General in 1986. It was a great experience, and very formative in terms of future career plans - including especially the decision to study law. Then there are the ASH teachers without whom none of this would have happened. People like Dr. Jerry deWitt, Richard Freedberg, Arnie Lehmann, Gail Bartholf and Kim Erekson were teachers that I experienced for at least 3 or 4 years during High School. They were extremely important in terms of how I view the world, appreciate the arts, history and the importance of physical health. 

 

The balance that I gained from teachers, the tolerance of differences that I gleaned from friendships and parents who served as great examples represent the foundation for the honor that I received. Finally, none of this happens without support from home. My wife, Steffi (who was introduced to me by Khaled), has been a rock and has supported me throughout so many endeavors - so part of this honor belongs to her as well.