Hi! My name is Nibras Azeenshia Winarno, I’m a fresh graduate from Universitas Indonesia (UI) majoring in nutrition. I joined OUCRU Indonesia’s Public and Community Engagement team as a media and communications intern!
My passion for graphic design led me into health research
Now, why would a nutrition graduate choose to intern at an infectious disease research unit? Well, the nutrition degree is under the Faculty of Public Health at UI. Naturally, I am interested public health too. They kind of align, right? OUCRU is doing health research to improve people’s lives. The idea of me supporting something as incredible as that? That sounds awesome!
Way before, I am incredibly interested in creative work, such as graphic design. When I was a university student, I was really active in campus events and organisations. You probably already guessed it, I was in the graphic design team in almost all of them! I didn’t know I could combine my passion for health and graphic design until I met OUCRU’s PCE team.
When I first arrived at OUCRU, I was honestly intimidated. I have never thought I would work in the research field. It felt like everyone was a genius except for me. But then, I was introduced to many roles in OUCRU, especially the ones supporting the researchers. I learned that you don’t need to come from a science background to work in a health research, you just have to be passionate about it.
Besides being passionate about graphic design, I’m also a self-taught illustrator. Honestly, I didn’t think I would use this skill at OUCRU, but guess I’m wrong! I illustrated some merch designs with my own hands! It feels so warm to see my drawings come alive and being able to give them out to other people up until people at Papua!
Since I’m a media and communications intern, I also helped create content for our social media, such as World NTD Day, International Women and Girls in Science, Student Visit recap, World Earth Day, and Video Story Challenge. I’ve learned to create content that’s well-tailored to the target audience, and I’ve become very thorough and intentional with every detail. I make sure the message feels right for the people we’re trying to reach, while keeping the visuals clean, attractive, and consistent with OUCRU’s identity.
Stepping outside of my comfort zone
Interning with PCE group goes beyond the screen itself. During internship, I don’t just support the PCE team behind my laptop, but I also contribute for the preparation of the Student Visit event as well as during the event. During the Student Visit, I became the co-guide, documenter, and also the MC during the quiz session with the students. Stepping into the MC role was completely new for me, as I had only done a few public speaking in front of a group before. Surprisingly, it turned out to be really fun! I learned how to speak confidently in front of Gen Z students and keep the energy high, explaining things clearly, and engaging with them in a relaxed way. What made this experience even more meaningful is that I usually struggle with socialising and opening up to people I don’t know. I’m very outgoing once I’m comfortable with someone, but it normally takes me time to warm up with new faces. Being able to stand in front of the students and host the quiz session pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way. It felt rewarding to see myself handling it well and actually enjoying the interaction.
Other than improving my communication and speaking skills at the Student Visit event, the main purpose of the event was to share all kinds of career paths that the youth can pursue in the research field. It was truly an eye-opener for the participating students and gave them a great opportunity to explore what they might want to do in the future. It was really fascinating to see how the PCE team opens up a whole new world for young people. PCE is not just about diving into the community to support research, but also about encouraging the youth to become contributors to research themselves.
Honestly, it shifted my perspective. Community engagement isn’t just about sharing what we’re doing today, it’s also about inspiring the right people to join the journey.
As the internship was almost ending, the team told me I’ve changed and grown to become more open and confident. Looking back, I realised what made me open is the PCE team’s collaborative culture, encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone. What initially felt like an unfamiliar chapter as a fresh graduate became one of my most memorable experiences, where I can see my future path in the professional world – thanks to PCE Internship Programme!