Hall of Femmes

(1) What I love about my current job is...
...the diversity of topics, the diversity of people and the diversity of life I get to delve into as a journalist and interviewer.

(2) One of the highlights of my career so far has been...
...When I look back, there are so many highlights – I can’t decide on one particular one. I’m happy to have had such a rich and fulfilling career.

(3) When I look back on my career so far, I’d say that what has particularly shaped me has been...
...having learned to dare new things. Only those who try can fail. Or – ta da! – succeed.

(4) I’d advise any young women wishing to pursue a career similar to mine to...
…listen to your gut and not let yourself be distracted by anything or anyone else. And: Be proactive!

(5) Given my experience as a professional with care responsibilities, I’ve found the following support particularly beneficial...
...a partner who does his fair share of the childcare.

(6) Networking with other women is important to me because...
...it’s well-known that men benefit from old-boy networks. Women urgently need to counter this and also forge contacts for mutual support and to help advance their careers. Ladies – unite!

(7) A time when I doubted my decision to go to university was...
...when I came from a working-class family and first entered the academic milieu. I first had to learn to believe in myself – but in the cosy setting of the campus university in Paderborn, with a close contact with my lecturers, that went quite quickly and well.

(8) I associate my time at Paderborn University with...
...Professor Arens and the length of the Loire river in kilometres (approx. 1,006); time spent at the photocopier as a student assistant in the History department; many long, enjoyable days in front of the screens in the media room watching one New Wave film after another; the cauliflower fritters in the cafeteria; the brilliant and surprisingly large number of university parties and my very best girlfriends, almost all of whom moved to Cologne with me.

(9) For the next 50 years, I wish Paderborn University...
...to continue to ensure that students feel as happy and at home on campus as I did, to continue to employ professors as committed as mine were and to continue to promote the unshakeable belief that a lot of good things come from the provinces. Who needs big, anonymous universities when they can get everything they need on a compact, cosy campus in Paderborn?

Photo (Mario Föllmer)