[Unpad Media Channel] An alumni of the the Fast-Track Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs in Chemistry at Universitas Padjadjaran, Aprilia Permata Sari, S.Si., M.Si., has spent the last two years working at Daewoong Bio Inc., one of the leading active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) companies in Asia, located in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. At this multinational company, April works as an analytical researcher.
When being interviewed by Unpad Media Channel, April told about her experience while studying in the the Fast-Track Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs in Chemistry at Unpad from 2017 until 2022 which helped her career a lot after graduating. As a student in the Fast Track program, April succeeded in finishing her magister study in a relatively short time, that is eight months. April also had the opportunity to delve into synthetic chemistry, preparing her for a career in the professional world as an analytical researcher.
“Even though my title is analytical researcher, I work with people in synthetic chemistry there. So, I need to understand the mechanisms of synthetic reactions and the processes involved; all of that is what I learned at Unpad. I learned many things at Unpad that turned out to be very useful,” April shared.
In addition to the course material, April also mentions how much she benefited from the equipment available at the Central Laboratory of Unpad. According to her, the advanced and comprehensive equipment at the Central Laboratory of Unpad greatly helped her adapt to the laboratory tools she encountered in South Korea.
At Daewoong Bio, April’s job involves researching the materials to be produced. When discussing her expectations and experiences working abroad, April admitted that she initially did not expect to get a job immediately after graduation. In reality, her application to the multinational company was accepted one day after she completed her master’s thesis defence at the Chemistry Master’s Program of Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Unpad.
April also shares some tips for students who aspire to build a career abroad. According to her, the key is setting high goals. She emphasizes the importance of conducting research, planning, and gathering as much information as possible about the target country.
April conveys a message to Unpad students about entering the professional world after graduating from Universitas Padjadjaran. She highlights the importance of courage in facing the workforce and taking risks to live the life each student desires.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. So, be brave enough to take chances. The more you challenge yourself, the greater the rewards you’ll reap,” she said. (SA)*
