We got to sit in on something really special during our 10 year of EAGLE anniversary: a plenary discussion with four EAGLE alumni, moderated by Will, one of our 10th generation students. And honestly, it was one of those sessions where you look around the room and just feel the energy. Four very different career paths, one shared starting point.
On the panel we had Sofia, Yomna and Magdalena, all three currently pursuing their PhDs, and Karsten, who took a different route and founded his own company, supervision.earth. Four people, four directions, but all of them EAGLEs first.
Will steered the conversation with questions that got past the small talk pretty quickly. What actually inspired you during EAGLE? What’s the one memory that still sticks with you? And how do you feel about the program now, looking back?
The answers were all over the map, which is kind of the point. Some talked about a specific course that flipped a switch for them. Others mentioned a field trip, a late night finishing a project with classmates, or a lecturer who pushed them just a bit further than they thought they could go. Karsten’s story took a bit of a turn since founding supervision.earth, but you could tell EAGLE was still the foundation everything else got built on. Sofia, Yomna and Magdalena, each deep into their own PhD work now, talked about how the program shaped the questions they’re still trying to answer today.
But here’s the part that really got us: all four of them said they still feel emotionally connected to EAGLE. Not in a nostalgic, looking-back-fondly kind of way, but genuinely connected, like it’s still part of who they are. And they still see each other as friends. Not former classmates who happen to be in the same field. Friends. That’s the kind of thing that’s hard to plan for when you’re building a program, and even harder to fake.
It’s what a lot of people say makes EAGLE different: it’s not just a degree you finish and move on from. It becomes a network, current students and alumni all still connected, still checking in on each other, still rooting for whatever comes next.
A big thank you to our 10th generation EAGLEs for putting this format together and to Will for moderating it so well. These kinds of sessions take real effort to organize, and it showed. We’re already looking forward to the next one.
