After completing my bachelors in physics in the USA, I came to The Netherlands to participate in the Master of Nanoscience program with Delft and Leiden. The diversity of courses I took, research projects I did and people I met during that time led me to the Casimir Research School in Leiden to work on a PhD in Biophysics. In a joint project between the Physics of Life Processes group in Leiden and the Bio-assembly and Organization at the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF) in Amsterdam, I have the opportunity to work with two dynamic groups at the forefront of biophysical research. The scientific community is truly an international one, a fact not gone unnoticed in the Casimir Research School where enthusiastic PhDs and Postdocs from all over the world do creative research and join forces in successful collaborations. The contacts, fruitful scientific discussions and experiences as well as the knowledge I have been cultivating during my PhD career have already proven to be valuable.