I was a master's student in Psychology, and Leiden University was the place where I learned how truly powerful education can be when it is paired with kindness. Once, I was late in submitting my weekly assignment. Instead of reprimanding me, my teacher took the time to ask how I was doing and whether I was struggling. Her empathy has stayed with me for years, even more enduring than the knowledge I was privilege enough to gain during my time at Leiden. I have been trying to pay forward that compassion ever since, now as a lecturer in my home country Indonesia.
