“A Great Ending to a Journey I’ll Remember for the Rest of my Life”

Text by Lea Laursen Pasgaard, translated by LeeAnn Iovanni and photos by Lasse Møller Badstue and Ida Marie Jensen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.

A new cohort of PhD graduates from Aalborg University (AAU) was celebrated on Friday, 26 January with musical performances, speeches and a reception at AAU INNOVATE.

The ceremony opened to the tune of Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile'. A musical feature performed by harpist Mette Nielsen and Lars Ole Schmidt of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.

Pro-rector Anne Marie Kanstrup delivered the welcome address. In her speech, she encouraged the PhD graduates to make good use of their knowledge and new insights:

- Today, no one can take away your new found voices. Voices that are now stronger. So I will say it again, because it really means something. I urge you to go out into the world and make your voices heard. It is your duty. It is your gift. You have earned this voice. You have gained this power, and I am confident you will use it well. I believe in science and I believe in you. You all make a difference, said the Pro-rector.

Alumnus Anita Friis Sommer, Head of Sustainability Operations at LEGO Systems A/S, also gave a speech to the graduates. She encouraged them to pursue their ambitions, but also to listen to their gut and assess what is important to them in life.

After earning her PhD, Anita Friis Sommer started as a postdoc at the University of Cambridge, but didn’t thrive there. She felt she saw her family too little, so the family returned to Denmark where she quickly got her foot in the door at LEGO. Today, she has a job where she is thriving. Where research meets reality and creates great value for many. At the same time, she is – albeit on a smaller scale – still active in research on agile management.

Pro-rector Anne Marie Kanstrup, along with Henrik Halkier, Head of the Doctoral School presented diplomas to all the graduates.

The ceremony was followed by a reception where family, friends, supervisors and research colleagues came together to celebrate the graduates.

AAU Update spoke to five graduates about their time at AAU, the ceremony and their working life today. Meet them below.

See more pictures from the ceremony in the album below: