Aleksandra Grows Beyond Biotechnology

Hello everyone! 

I’m Aleksandra, a master’s student in Biotechnology at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. I first heard about Evonik through UNITECH International, a leadership development program for STEM students that connects university students with multinational companies across Europe. 

In February 2026, I joined the Cell Culture Solutions (CCS) team of the Business Line Health Care in Darmstadt. My work was mainly project-based, and I supported the team in areas such as market intelligence through competitor analysis, portfolio expansion by researching potential new products, and business management by preparing training materials for sales colleagues. 

When I found out that I would be moving to Germany for a five-month internship at Evonik, I didn't know what to expect. Germany as a country was quite new to me, I couldn't speak German, and it was my first experience in a corporate environment. Looking back, I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity. 

From day one, everyone in the CCS team, as well as colleagues across the organization, was incredibly welcoming and supportive. Through the different projects I worked on, I felt that I was able to contribute and bring value to the team, which is something that is very important to me and keeps me motivated. I also felt truly included, and I think that feeling of belonging is a big part of a positive company culture and helps people grow and perform at their best. 

As an international intern, I’m also grateful for the chance to build a life “from scratch” in a new country. Over the past months, I created a great everyday life here and met people who made it much harder to leave Germany than I had expected. That is something I will always be thankful for. 

All these positive experiences made me want to extend my internship within the Business Line Health Care for another four months, and I'm very much looking forward to it.