The single-mindedness she displayed in comparison to some of her other - mostly male - fellow students was mainly due to the fact that she had to finance her studies with a part-time job. And so she remembers first of all how little time there was besides studies and job. After her degree, she continued what she had already learned to appreciate during her diploma thesis: scientific work in research projects with a high practical component. While working, she also completed a doctorate in psychology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Through her work in the "Competentia - Frau und Beruf" project, she came into contact with the topic of women's advancement and advised companies on how they could create better working conditions for women. Consequently, she has been continuing this work as the central equal opportunities representative for the Hochschule Niederrhein for the past 5 years. Sandra Laumen is well aware that in this position one does not only make friends. But that is precisely why she is also happy about every successful measure and hopes that, thanks to her support and work, the position of Equal Opportunities Officer will no longer be necessary at some point. Until then, the approach she has adopted from Prof. Packebusch is helpful to her: developing options for action and constantly examining what effects decisions have and what options arise from them.
If she were to study again, her old Degree programme would be out of the question, because it no longer exists in this form. She would take a selection of courses from different subjects, such as technical foundation courses from Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and methodological skills from Applied Social Sciences, and combine them into a new major, using marketing skills from Business Administration and Economics to apply.
Looking back, the many practical projects in her studies were what Sandra Laumen appreciates about The Hochschule Niederrhein. Pretending to buy a house and assessing a realtor or early shifts starting at six in the morning not only prepared her for later professional life.
