When you are born in Marl, Evonik is not something you stumble across one day—rather you grow up well familiar with the fantastic reputation that Evonik has. A lot of my friends at high school wanted to start an apprenticeship right after graduation. I first came into contact with Evonik not until 11 years later. How come? When aged 15, I had a serious sports accident. Since that day I have been paralyzed from the shoulder down. After six months in hospital I was able to return to school in Marl and graduate. I went on to study business psychology obtaining a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Ruhr University in Bochum. During that time I came to realize that I wanted to use my acquired skills and knowledge to support Evonik and wanted to gather practical experience in one of the world’s largest specialty chemicals companies.

This year in May I got the opportunity to do a six-month internship at HR Special Sourcing at the Marl site. Even though I use an electric wheel chair and rely on special aids at the workplace, I had a smooth start here. I was quickly provided with all the aids I needed such as a voice-recognition program for the computer. This allows me to work with the computer fully independently. My supervisor and team welcomed me very warmly and fully support me. By now, I have settled in well and am working on various interesting projects, independently or in teams. I enjoy the pleasant working atmosphere shaped by Trust and Openness.

I am excited and look forward to the next four months of my internship. Evonik so far has exceeded all my expectations and I hope that we can share this path for a little longer.