Celebrating Belgian King’s Day in New York 🇧🇪

As a Belgian, King's Day is a moment to honor the history of my country, enjoy its cultural richness and connect with fellow Belgians. My sincere thanks to Consul Filip Vanden Bulcke for his kind invitation to the King’s Day reception at the Belgian Consul’s residence in New York.

During the reception, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Professor Emile Boulpaep in person. I first crossed path virtually with Professor Boulpaep in his capacity of President of the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) during the interview process, conducted remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, for my postdoctoral fellowship. 

I remain deeply grateful for the trust he and the jury placed in me by awarding the fellowship, which enabled me to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania as part of the 2021-2022 BAEF Boat. After completing my PhD at the University of Liège in 2021, the BAEF fellowship represented a valuable opportunity to explore my research field from a new angle and in a different setting. It was a true pleasure to reconnect with Professor Boulpaep and exchange experiences with a few other BAEF fellows and alumni.

Here’s to Belgium’s enduring spirit—rooted in diversity, creativity and a commitment to building bridges across borders 🇧🇪