Yvonne – Intern at Asia Research Hub

Hello everyone,

my name is Yvonne, and I’m a final year undergraduate from Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), majoring in Chemical Engineering offered by SIT and Newcastle University. As a Cosmetic Science Diploma graduate from Singapore Polytechnic, Evonik is no doubt to be one of the renowned companies that often being mentioned by the school lecturers. In addition, various outreach to tertiary students by Evonik such as Evonik Open House, active participation in school career expo, and innovative challenge has drawn huge attention of mine. Hence, I seized the opportunity to join Evonik as an intern when I saw the posting via the career website.

At Asia Research Hub, I work in the Interface & Performance team under the company’s Specialty Additives Division. My project focuses on plastic recycling, where we use our surfactant to make magic on the disposed plastic, so that the recycled plastic can have comparable quality as the virgin plastic, as part of the effort to increase sustainability in the chemical industry. The position has allowed me to gather professional experience as I manage my project in terms of timeline and ways of improvement. My supervisor has played a crucial role in this incredible journey. He gives timely feedback and suggestions to make sure that our projects are on the right track and maintains the quality of our results. There are researchers and engineers with diverse backgrounds in Asia Research Hub. I enjoy the time collaborating with these amazing individuals. More than pure advice as a senior in the industry, their experiences have allowed me to view things differently, creating more ideas and encouraging me to take my steps forward. There is never a moment that I feel alone as I am assured that there will always be someone supporting me when I need to turn for help.

Another strong impact that the internship has left me is the working culture of Evonik. Interns are encouraged to step up and present during the technical seminar, sharing their learning through their projects. The seminar helped me to gain insights into the specialty chemical industry and potential markets. I also appreciate the opportunity to be able to increase knowledge that may be out of my field. Within my team, we will discuss our projects occasionally, so we can come up with novel solutions if we encounter any bottlenecks. With these experiences at Evonik, I am now able to work with more independence and resiliency. They also enhanced my problem-solving skill and communication skills.

Before starting my internship with Evonik, I once doubted my choice to take up a Chemical Engineering degree, and whether it be helpful if I were to stay in STEM as a researcher. I could not give myself a proper answer until I completed my first project in Evonik. I am glad that the answer is I did not make a wrong choice. With the plant setup knowledge I’ve learned in Chemical Engineering, I can better relate the practice and layout of a plastic recycling plant, to understand our target client’s needs.

At Evonik, it is beyond just about work and productivity. We all come from all walks of life. With the diversified background, I got to experience different culture through celebrations such as Deepavali, Halloween, Oktoberfest, etc... I made connections with knowledgeable scientists, not to mention interns from other universities during these bonding times.

Here's my story with Evonik, I do want to share every moment that I had but I think that it would be more fascinating if you were here to go through this journey yourself. Looking forward to listening to your story with Evonik! Just want to let you know, every day, I look forward to going to work, because I know I can be #PartofSomethingSpecial. 

Best,

Yvonne

On the students@Evonik blog, students, who work at Evonik, share their experiences about life and work in the company.