I entered Swinburne Sarawak in 2006 for my pre-university year followed by a four-year degree in Engineering. I then went on to complete my doctorate in 2016. Right after the completion of my doctoral degree, I joined the School of Engineering as lecturer. When I first started my studies back in 2006, the campus facility was only five floors in the present G building. People knew each other so well that we would practically recognize and wave to any Swinburne student or staff when we see them in town. Coming from my hometown of Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, I do feel that I belong here at Swinburne Sarawak.

As Swinburne evolves and creates greater impacts day by day, I find my passion in teaching and academic research growing, too. While studying, I also participated and mentored teams of students for international engineering competitions. We travelled to China, South Korea and Germany to represent Malaysia, and we successfully defended the top three positions in the world too! Now, as a lecturer, I find deep fulfilment in guiding students and watching them progress in their studies and academic projects. Furthermore, I am able to develop my ability to conduct research in my areas of practice, robotics, mechatronics and automation, corresponding to the direction in which our society is heading.

I am also thankful for Swinburne’s continuous effort in reaching out to society, which resonates with my personal interests in promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education to primary and secondary school students. Tertiary education plays a huge role in preparing individuals for their careers. However, it is also essential to note that the seeds of interest in a particular field or area are often planted in a person’s early life. Swinburne has been supportive of the activities my colleagues and I run for young learners in our society to help spark their interests in STEM.

Happy 20th anniversary, Swinburne Sarawak, and thank you for shaping us to be who we are today!