“It’s the first time TU/e has passed the ten-thousand mark. Reason for a small ceremony – we’re congratulating her, but the university too, of course. And we have you to thank for all this just as well”, Baaijens tells a dumbfounded Blauwe Zaal.

The eighteen-year-old Rama from Greece is visibly shaken by the attention and questions she’s supposed to answer instantly and seemingly effortlessly. Why did she come to the Netherlands, for example, because isn’t there a brain drain here? Rama looks uncomfortable. Having escaped the hall she’s still not sure what just happened. “I don’t get it. I didn’t do anything special.”

One journalist after another diligently writes down how the Greek student chose Eindhoven because of its great reputation, especially when it comes to Electrical Engineering. “There are many authoritative people in the field who have gone here.” And her brother’s been enrolled here for three years, so that made her decision somewhat easier.

She isn’t bothered by the fact there are only few women in her department – although the overall number of women at TU/e does increase significantly. “Of course it would be great if there were more girls.” She doesn’t consider herself an ambassador, either: “People should make their own decisions. All I can do is talk about my own choices and share my experiences”.

Rector Baaijens is happy TU/e has hit this milestone. “We’ve worked hard to modernize our educational system, to improve it and to give students more room to grow. I’m excited to see it shows in our student count.” Baaijens predicts TU/e will continue to grow steadily, reaching twelve thousand students within the next five years.