Dr. Jitske Jansen is truly a rising star. She started her career as a technician but has been aiming higher ever since. During her PhD research, she developed a bioartificial kidney, for which she won several prizes. Besides doing her own research, she has also guided and inspired multiple students during their internships and PhD projects. Besides her academic work, she organized and coordinated multiple World Kidney Day events to raise awareness for kidney disease. As part of her first postdoc, she was a guest researcher in Prof. Little's lab in Australia, one of the world's most famous kidney research groups. She came back with valuable knowledge about kidney organoids, which she has recently applied to prove that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 directly infects the kidneys and contributes to tissue scarring. Her work received significant public attention, and I am sure this was not the last time that we will hear from Jitske's achievements. She is exceptionally driven, intelligent and extremely hard working. Science is her passion and making impact is her drive.