Dear students,

As we are nearing the end of summer, and as the second-year HHP students have graduated and the first years will embark on their last Honors year, we reflect back on a marvellous year with many highlights. All the many activities and excursions, all the portfolios and especially all the fantastic thesis everyone has written. All these theses were presented on the 20th of June at the end symposium. Now, we would like to take a minute to reflect back on this great evening.

The day began hot, and with a code yellow warning for a big storm arriving about the exact time the symposium was planned to start, many were a bit unsure about arriving. All the more happy were we to see that everyone managed to come, and many parents, friends, dear ones, supervisors and professors were all able to make it to this special evening. Everyone seated in the venerable Lutherse Kerk and thunder rolling in the background, we commenced the evening with a lovely and inspiring speech by Koen Ottenheym about our Honors program and about what it was that we were really up to in the past two years as Honors students and what it entails to be one. With another welcome by Allegra Salvadori, we went on to the thesis markets in two rounds. Everyone had a chance to walk around the church and into different little rooms where students set up the posters that each student prepared for the evening and proudly explained fascinated listeners their findings. The diversity, range and passion across the thesis impressed the visitors greatly and many interesting discussions were held throughout the evening. From fashion in literature, Celtic cultures, the German Revolution, online education during the pandemic, and diplomats in the United States to renaissance painters or cats in 19th-century French histories, everything was there.

As time passed by fast, people were invited to participate in a fun Kahoot about the Program, where Duco Dijkema invited the students to reflect on their time as Honors students and their future plans, and Eureka’s yearbook was presented too. After this, the coordinators of each domain and their cohort were invited up front to see each of them off and say a few words about the last two years. It was very inspiring and beautiful to hear about the student’s journeys and progress and the great fruits that came out of it. With an air of nostalgia and the rain still pouring outside, the informal part of the evening was set in motion, and many stayed for a borrel “hapje” and “drankje” to chat with everyone. This was a great chance for many students to see each other one last time before many go on in different directions and other chapters in their careers and paths. Hesitant to leave, the evening slowly came to a close, and many went on to celebrate further with friends and family.

We want to take the time to thank everyone for making this evening possible and want to say how impressed we are with everyone’s journey and work in the past years. We also want to wish everyone only the best for their future and hope to see many around again sometime in Utrecht!

In case you are still curious about some of the thesis or you ran out of time to discuss someone’s findings, many of them will be available soon on the Honors blog.

All the best,

Your thesis committee and

Student assistants Michelle Moonen and Noemi Suter