7 July 2025
Graduate Week fot PhD Students: ‘You’ll never walk alone’
My name is Heru Lin, from Jakarta, Indonesia. This is my third time at TUA Graduate Week. By now, I know to expect long days, many talks, and plenty of caffeine. Still, surprises always await. As I write this during the epilogue session titled “Bach, the Bible, and the Beauty of Research,” I’m struck by how rarely I associate Ph.D. research with the word ‘beauty.’ Yet over the past week, I’ve discovered that beauty surrounds me in many ways. Allow me to share a few:
#1 The Beauty of the Theme “The Quest for Truth”
In our opening session, we were reminded that Christian scholarship is a quest for truth, and this search can be a long and challenging journey. As I glanced over my shoulder and saw both the familiar and unfamiliar new faces, I felt reassured that all of us are on this journey together. You’ll never walk alone! (And yes, I can hear the Liverpool fans chanting.)
This walking together was most evident in our workgroup sessions, where we shared proposals and dissertation's progress. It was most encouraging to hear everyone's thoughts and opinions, helping one another to go another step further by asking questions, probing further, and offering advice to keep everybody in check. Love it!
#2 The Beauty of Fellowship
I’d say, and I suspect most will agree, that the exchange of bantering and jokes in the dining hall can be as invigorating as the exchange of ideas in the classroom. For the new people joining for the first time, perhaps it is like going to a prom party, anxious yet excited to meet their new colleagues and professors. For us old-timers, it feel like a yearly reunion, like catching up with long-lost cousins from distant lands over cold sandwiches (and if we are lucky - over fried rice on dinners). Cold beer next year, perhaps?
On our weekend excursion, we visited the Nieuw Sion Protestant Monastery, we not only enjoyed deeper conversations but also learned to adapt to a contemplative, silent monastic lifestyle. We heard how, in bygone days, nuns and monks maintained complete silence, expressing themselves only through hand gestures. I can’t help to think that this Graduate Week has become a mini-monastery - an escape from noise and distraction, allowing us to focus on our quest for truth.
#3 The Beauty of Diversity
Graduate Week began just after the NATO meeting ended, but the diversity among us in Apeldoorn far surpassed that of any gathering of top brass in The Hague.
During Monday’s chapel, singing “Amazing Grace” together made me think of the future where people of all languages and cultures will worship God in unity. For a brief moment, I saw a foretaste of that vision: participants from the Netherlands and other European nations, the United States and Canada, Australia, Korea, Egypt, Nepal, Nigeria, and Indonesia - all five continents represented!
Beyond our nationalities, the wide range of research topics highlighted how each of us is shaped by the unique challenges of our own environments. It’s a testament to how God guides His people in diverse and special ways.
#4 The Beauty of Christ in Research
The ups and downs of doctoral research are real, and I often struggle to handle them. My first response is to remember what my supervisor, Dr. Kater, once told us: “A Ph.D. is not your life.” But when deeper existential crises arise, I recall Jesus’ question to the disciples: “Don’t you want to go too?” Despite the temptation to give up, God gives me the strength to answer, as Peter did: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” This journey is ultimately about pondering the beauty of Christ, as an expression of our love for God and others, not just for personal achievement. So I keep swimming.
As Graduate Week ended with a Ph.D. defense, I was reminded that every journey, no matter how challenging, has its conclusion. I look forward to the day when my children will have their often-missing dad back—and to returning next year, renewed in purpose and fellowship.
Sampai jumpa tahun depan! Terima kasih. (See you next year! Thank you.)
Heru Lin, PhD Student
The participants in Graduate Week
