Shuwen successfully defended her thesis a couple of weeks ago which means that she is close to receiving her actual piece of paper certifying she has completed her PhD!
Some thoughts of Shuwen on her PhD journey:
Doing a PhD IS challenging, even beyond what I had imagined five years ago when I started this journey. This road trip, which I expected to have ups and downs and go back and forth, sure was a rollercoaster. If I am honest, most of the time (for me) was more of a down and back experience. However, I was fortunate enough to find my way out of those downs and back into some ups with incredible help and support of my supervisors, other lab members, and peers. It has been such a long way that it felt quite surreal that I made it to the point where I got to defend my PhD thesis, and it didn’t even feel real yet when we were all gathered at the Phoenix for my defence celebration. I feel truly blessed for this achievement and am beyond proud of myself. I chose to stay strong, to stick through it and make things happen. There’s definitely a weight off my shoulders now and I’m feeling so free, which I wish to be in the rest of my life also: To be free, always.
It’s true that a PhD isn’t an easy journey, but it’s supposed to shape you into a better scientist. We are all incredibly proud of the scientist Shuwen has become throughout the years and we look forward to see what’s next for her!
