Francisca Leonardo – Master’s in Molecular Techniques in Life Science

I decided to come to Karolinska Institutet based on a high recommendation from a friend who had previously studied here and only had good things to say about this university. It was a sign that KI is not only an excellent environment for academic research, but it also provides a tightly-knit and vibrant community for its students, which is especially appreciated if you come from a faraway land like Canada.

Since arriving at KI, I have had the opportunity to learn from top researchers in my field of interest and to get involved in cutting-edge research at SciLifeLab. I have met many strangers who turned into friends along the way. The lovely people I found here made Sweden feel a little bit more like home.

In terms of my future, even though I’m constantly struggling to live more in the present, I can’t help but think that, if I had to guess, I hope that in 10 years I will be retiring from my first career (go FIRE go) and I’m either the CEO of my own biotech start-up or I’m working at NASA. Or something else altogether. Either way, I will probably be happy with my choices since I always follow whatever crazy dream I’m living for at the moment.

In my free time, I like to play tennis, get involved in the community, and read about anything and everything. Most importantly, I appreciate Swedish music like no other person healthily ever should, and a fun fact about me is that I listen to at least one ABBA song every morning to start my day off right!

Finally, my official motto in life is “why the *heck* not?” as an answer (or is it more a question?) when I’m at a crossroads. So I would ask you the same if you are questioning whether you should apply to KI or not – why the heck not?