Farewell Leiden: LLM Graduation

I am still not sure whether this year was short or long, but it sure ended, officially yesterday. My programme, Advanced Studies in European and International Business Law LLM, had its graduation ceremony yesterday, which marks the end of my days at Leiden University and the city of Leiden. Thus, as one of my last entries at The Leidener, I would like to share my insights from an LLM graduation ceremony.

Being a vastly international group also means some of our classmates already went back to their home country. However, the majority of my class and their loved ones were present in yesterday’s ceremony, held in the small hall of the beautiful Academy Building. Firstly, we received our diplomas from our thesis supervisors who were able to attend the ceremony, along with a couple of sentences from them. As I received mine from my thesis supervisor whom I admire and who also is our programme director, it meant a lot to hear her kind and personal words on me and my work.

Later on, we were conveyed with words from our professor which announced us official graduates of Leiden University. As traditions, we threw our graduation hats to the air and left our signature to the walls of the famous Sweat Room.

The whole day was filled with emotions, happiness, accomplishment, success and excitement with the days to come. The buffet lunch hosted at the Faculty Club, right opposite of Academy Building, gave us the chance to live through these emotions and share them with our loved ones.

It definitely was a day to remember which I choose to turn into a day of celebration even after the ceremony had ended. With all the important people of my life who are in the Netherlands, we first had drinks at a boat café, went for a boat tour along Leiden, walked around the Burcht and had a nice, long dinner at one of the bistros in the Breestraat. I would definitely recommend doing the same and spend the whole day, thinking about all the good things in your life and appreciating them.