What hurdles have there been on your career path so far? What helped you overcome them?
One hurdle on the way through my studies was financing. Fortunately, I was able to cover a large part of my bachelor's degree through BAföG. However, that came with a lot of effort; through the applications and proofs, to the repayment. At the same time, I worked alongside my studies and applied for scholarships, unfortunately often unsuccessfully.
Moreover, it was only during my studies that I learned how the academic world worked. The idea of doing a doctorate appealed to me early on, although I didn't actually know what that meant in concrete terms at the time. Nevertheless, I took up an external doctoral position after graduation. Shortly afterwards, however, I realized that the topic was not right for me. Becoming aware of that and then ultimately starting a new job was a challenge that I grew with.
What personal resources can you draw on?
I think an important resource is the exchange of experience with others, for example in networks. For me, the Femtec Alumnae Association is a central point of contact where women from the STEM field get involved together. Actually, I am not a Femtec Alumna, since the Femtec program was not offered when I was a student in Braunschweig, but I was able to become a member anyway and am very inspired by the different life stories of the women there. Here I exchange ideas with PhD students in small groups on a weekly basis about our PhDs. This creates a lot of motivation and mutual support. The network of First Generation Students at the TU Braunschweig can also be such a resource, where I like to share my experiences.
What ideas do you have for improving equal opportunities for First Generation Students?
From my point of view, it would lead to more equal opportunities if student financing through BAföG were simpler. This applies above all to the application process and the regulations on the individual funding amount. On the one hand, it certainly discourages some people from starting their studies if they are not sure how much support they can count on. On the other hand, it causes a lot of pressure during the studies to keep the standard period of study and to take care of the applications again and again. Especially since the standard period of study often cannot be adhered to if one is working a part-time job.
When did you decide to study and what influenced this decision?
The idea of studying solidified during my school years. However, I put off the question of what I wanted to study for a long time. The many options partially overwhelmed me. In the end, I decided on physics because I have always been driven by my scientific curiosity and I am particularly enthusiastic about astrophysics. The latter probably comes from my big brother, who loves watching sci-fi series. Due to the extraterrestrial research focus, TU Braunschweig sounded like a good choice for me and that's why I stayed until today.