Finally. It took me about ten years to finish my studies, but it has happened: I graduated last April. Yes, ten years is a pretty long time, but I don’t regret a single moment. Why? Because studying is only one part of being a student. There’s a whole world outside of the university that you simply can’t ignore. I’m pretty sure I’ve learned at least as much studying biomedical subjects as exploring new opportunities while taking on all sorts of extra curricular activities. The trick is to do stuff and have fun!
I did my last internship at the startup in which I’m currently a partner. During these five months I learned a great deal about collecting market information and doing a market analysis. Together with my fellow founder, we visited a lot of people to build a strong network, acquire the required knowledge about companies in the poultry industry and to look for big piles of money to get our research started.
Currently we have a pretty strong position and are about to file for a patent. The fact that we were/are student-entrepreneurs worked in our advantage. I’m confident that we will be successful and yes, that does require a hell of a lot of work.
Last Wednesday, to everyone’s surprise (especially mine), I won the LUMC Student Research Award 2012! This prize is awarded to the student who performed the best research internship. When your internship’s grade is high enough, you are invited to send in your report to a jury. They nominate three candidates and select a winner.