From Fear to Fear

December 30, 2025

There is a Belgian education law stating that a student is considered “national” only if they hold a valid ID on December 31. When I was about to start university, my yearly residence permit was set to be renewed on December 7, which at first classified me as an international student and required tuition fees I could not afford. Hence the first picture where I am working at an outlet, scanning clothes during the summer break to earn that money before the academic year started. At the same time, I was preparing for university classes using slides I received from senior students (taking notes on tissues felt less noticeable :D). I feared not maintaining the same standard as in high school, as I already knew my “weakness” of trying to understand all course material in detail. Since I did not want to sacrifice my study method, preparing only during the academic year would likely not be enough if I wanted to be among the very best.

Of course, I could not plan every detail in advance, and the next five years of my Bachelor’s and Master’s came with their share of hardships and necessary sacrifices. It took some time before all this effort started to pay off. Today, I am happy to announce that I graduated with the following honors:

1st in Computer Science among all graduates of the past decade
Most Outstanding Science Student Award among all graduates of the Faculty of Sciences
Best Master's Thesis in Computer Science Award
1st Place National ie-net Master's Thesis Award (eligibility limited to Belgian students in the top 20% of their faculty)
National ie-net Master's Thesis Audience Award
If you are wondering why there are two people receiving the award, check out this blog post for the full story. :)

Throughout my studies, I actively sought research internships to prepare myself for a PhD. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Prof. Dave Singelée and Prof. Bart Preneel for supervising my research at COSIC, which was defining in many ways, as it marked my first experience in applied cryptography. I am also thankful to Prof. Janwillem Swalens for the research experience at Nokia Bell Labs, which eventually grew into a Master's thesis carried out in collaboration with Prof. Stefanos Chaliasos and Prof. Coen De Roover. Finally, I thank Prof. Wolfgang De Meuter and Vincent Luyten for trusting me with TA positions and allowing me to gain valuable experience in this area.

As for what comes next, I have just finished applying to PhD programs. In the meantime, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to start a research position at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy under the supervision of Prof. Carmela Troncoso.

I now find myself once again filled with the same fear, this time about my upcoming PhD. However, past experience has taught me to stay out of my own way for the most part, to not be afraid of being afraid. There is no courage without fear, so I now welcome it and use it as strength to prepare for what is to come. If you ever find yourself in similar shoes, perhaps the fear is a sign that you are pursuing something worth it.