Radboud student Yucong Ma is creating a comic for the 100th anniversary of Radboud University about the university’s history. ‘The comic is a gift to myself, but also a gift to the university.’

The idea for her comic arose from her interest in the history of Radboud University. ‘The current university is built on its history,’ says the Chinese chemistry student, ‘so I thought it would be nice to create a story about that for its 100th anniversary.’

She knew very little about the history herself, but after contacting Radboud Heritage, she had a clear idea in her mind. ‘I think it’s an interesting but also challenging history, especially during and after World War II.’

Gift

Ma is in the second year of her Bachelor’s in Chemistry but has been living in the Netherlands for three years now. Before Nijmegen, she studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Twente, but she didn’t enjoy that bachelor’s program.

‘I was going through a rough patch for a while,’ Ma says, but now that she lives and studies in Nijmegen, she’s doing better mentally. Drawing may have helped with that, she observes: ‘The comic is a gift to myself in that way, but also a gift to the University.’

What can we expect in the comic? It will feature well-known ‘legends’ who played important roles in the university’s history, such as co-founder and first rector Jos Schrijnen; Titus Brandsma, who was canonized last year; and Robert Regout, a professor of international law, as well as a resistance fighter who died in Dachau during World War II.

Publishing

Her drawing style is somewhat reminiscent of Japanese Manga. ‘But I’ve never actually read Manga’, Ma says. ‘My style isn’t necessarily inspired by any specific style. I do know a group in China that creates similar drawings, so perhaps some of my inspiration comes from there, but with my own twist.’

‘It would be really cool to include my own drawings in my articles if I ever publish something’

When asked if she would rather become a comic artist or a chemist in the future, she says with a smile on her face. ‘I actually really want to become a researcher, which is why I chose this study here in Nijmegen. It would be really cool to include my own drawings of chemical reactions in my articles if I ever publish something.’

We’ll have to wait a bit longer for the comic. The international student expects it to be ready in about a year. Ma: ‘And since it’s a gift, it’s up to Radboud University to decide what they want to do with it.’

Translated by Siri Joustra