What book is on your bedside table? Autobiografie van mijn lichaam [Autobiography of My Body] by Lize Spit, about her mother, who was an alcoholic. It’s really powerful, just like Lale Gül’s debut about the suffocating Turkish environment she grew up in – I devoured that in two weeks. Parts of it felt familiar: how communities function, and how people follow their own logic. My favourite author is Octavia E. Butler. I used to read her books all the time when I was younger. A lot of her work is about the Black community in the US, about their history and slavery. I found it fascinating, also because I realised I was different – the only Black girl in my class.
Persistence got me here. I was fourteen when I came to the Netherlands to join my mother, who had already applied for asylum here. We lived in Huizen, a village where hardly anyone spoke English. It was a culture shock. I had to learn the language, and as a refugee from an African country, I had to work my way up to the highest level of secondary education. I started at vmbo, where my German teacher told me, “Angella, you don’t belong here.” I moved up to mavo, then havo and eventually completed vwo. My mother didn’t even know. After finishing havo, I enrolled in a lab course at Leiden University of Applied Sciences while also doing an accelerated vwo programme because I had my heart set on going to university. I didn’t tell anyone, in case it didn’t work out. Leiden wasn’t always easy; I lived on my own, worked and studied incredibly hard. But it was worth it. I never lost sight of my goal.
"When I feel unsure about something, I turn to my mother, but I don’t tell her everything, though"
What do you dream of? I’ve always known I wanted to work in healthcare, even back when I still lived in Uganda. When people fall ill there and go to a local clinic, they’re almost always told it’s an infection and sent home with antibiotics. As a child, I wondered why people got ill in the first place. Doctors know the symptoms; I wanted to understand the molecular processes behind them. That’s what drew me to Biomedical Sciences. After my bachelor’s, I want to stay in this field, do a master’s and become an outstanding scientist. When I look in the mirror ten years from now, I want to see a strong, smart Black woman who excels in biomedical research – still a male-dominated field.
I feel… seventy per cent Ugandan and thirty per cent Dutch. I’ve had Dutch citizenship for five years now, and I belong here. But most of my family still lives in Uganda, and I have a lot of memories from my early years there. It’s a beautiful country, but the economy is in a terrible state, and having a degree is worthless without connections in high places. I went back for the first time last year. Politically, nothing has changed, but the wonderful colours and smells were just as I remembered. I still speak the language, and it still feels like home.
"I wanted to understand the molecular processes behind the symptoms. That’s what drew me to Biomedical Sciences"
City or countryside? Countryside, one hundred per cent. I live in Sittard, which is nice and quiet. I run five kilometres every week, and I like running in the woods. I’d love to live in a small village. I grew up in Huizen, so I’m used to peace and quiet.
My mother is my rock. We talk a lot about my studies. She motivates and supports me, emotionally and financially. My father left when I was young. When I feel unsure about something, I turn to my mother. I don’t tell her everything, though. I’m an only child, and we’re great friends, but she doesn’t need to know everything about me.
What’s your biggest pitfall? I’ve realised I can be a bit of a pessimist and tend to focus on all the things that might go wrong. Take group projects, for example – there’s always someone who doesn’t pull their weight, and I find myself worrying about it in advance and preparing for the worst, making sure their part gets done. I may seem confident, but I don’t always feel it.
"The wonderful colours and smells in Uganda were just as I remembered. I still speak the language, and it still feels like home"
What breaks your heart? I cried watching a TV appeal about people in Africa without access to clean water. It made me feel so powerless. The system is so corrupt that even the most basic needs can’t be met. It’s heartbreaking to see people suffer like that.
My little joy in life is… chapatis – Ugandan flatbread made from soft dough and filled with beans and egg, or ingredients like tomato or avocado. It was the first thing I asked for when I went back to Uganda. They’re so good, but you really have to take your time making them. My mother makes the best chapatis.