I got fired on a Friday and had $14 to my name.
Didn’t tell anyone. Just walked home in silence.
Monday morning there’s a knock at my door.
It’s my old barista, Jake.
He hands me a bag and says: “Don’t ask. Just eat.”
Inside was a sandwich, coffee, and an envelope with $200 cash.
Note said:
At her PhD defence yesterday at the University of Ghent, someone from the audience asked her: “What next after the PhD? What do you plan to do [with it]?” It is a question I often want to ask (beyond the academic) when I’m on a PhD panel, but I hadn’t asked this time. I’m glad it still came from the audience. Whenever possible (in some disciplines), PhD research should go beyond being a mere academic exercise. The people from whom we collect free data should not see us as mere users. Congratulations Sr Dr Estellina Namutebi.