I am wearing a big smile, white T-shirt and my self-made doctoral hat. I am standing in front of a bookshelf in the institute's seminar room. In Germany, it is a tradition that colleagues craft a unique doctoral hat for the PhD graduate. The hat has lots of details on top, prominently including small cell culture flasks. On the front, it reads "Dr. Lara".
Collage consisting of 6 pictures. Upper row: 1. My supervisor hands me a gift bag for children which reads "Schulende" (end of school). It is a self-made bag and usually reads "Schulstart" (beginning of school). 2. The lecture hall with green chairs and a green ceiling wall. 3. Me and others laughing and holding glasses of champagne. Lower row: 4. The room with some of the people who were there standing and sitting. 5. Picture taking directly after they placed the doctoral hat on me. My arms are close to the hat - it was heavy and I was afraid that it would fall. 6. Gift table with flowers, the doctoral hat and a big box with lots of different snacks and a photo book about my time as a PhD student. In the middle is a lab-themed card which was drawn by another PhD student.
🎓 PhD milestone – on my birthday! 🎉
Two weeks ago, I defended my PhD in Pharmacy on my 28th birthday (coincidence, but unforgettable!). A full lecture hall, friends & colleagues from abroad joining online, and afterwards a big celebration at our institute. (1/4)
#PhDone #BirthdayDefense #PhDSky