My mother used to tell me when I was a kid, “You don’t have to be great from the start, but you do have to start in order to be great.” It was only later that this quote began to make sense to me. Born and raised in the metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I did not have the privilege of living in a lavish and lush environment but rather had to make do with what I was given.

When it came to deciding my future, the idea of working in the sector of Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) did not come close to my mind because I grew up with the sentiment most Asians have when it comes to occupations, the typical professions being engineer, lawyer or doctor. 

However, I first came across the SHE idea on television. One particular night, I remember watching the news and being terrified and appalled by the account of casualties and injuries caused by a lack of safety in a particular organisation. As a result, I studied and earned a Diploma and, more recently, a Bachelor’s Degree in Safety and Health. Throughout my studies, I was determined to contribute to establishing a safer working culture and environment no matter where I worked. 

My adventure with Roche began in early March 2022, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was offered a fantastic internship opportunity at Roche Services & Solutions APAC. I accepted the offer and joined Roche’s Safety, Health and Environment Department. The dedication of my team colleagues showed me that Roche SHE was more than a department or a team; it was a family.

The creation, establishment and maintenance of a safer working environment and the well-being of the Roche employees were at the forefront of my responsibilities. From the very beginning, I was given support from the team in order to efficiently control and manage activities and procedures. My mentor’s words, “never stop learning, since life never stops teaching,” taught me that education was necessary regardless of age, time or position in the company. In other words, errors were viewed as learning opportunities, and there was always room for development. 

I am privileged to be part of such a diverse and inclusive organisation that values and accepts new hires and interns as members of the Roche family. I truly wished that my internship was longer than six months; however, I am really grateful I was given the opportunity because it has not only broadened my knowledge in my field of study but also provided me with the hands-on experience I was longing for.