Angel Joseph Sena

Sporty and outgoing, Angel Joseph Sena thought she would follow in her father’s footsteps by pursuing a career in the military. But several brushes with engineering during her programme study changed her mind. “My work attachments with Sembcorp and Air Liquide Singapore when I was in SIT solidified my passion for engineering,” said Angel, a graduate from the Chemical Engineering programme jointly offered by SIT and Newcastle University.

At SIT, Angel pushed herself to take on many leadership roles even while juggling her studies. Spearheading events gave her the opportunity to contribute towards shaping SIT’s identity. She was a SITizen Ambassador and Vanguard – part of a group of experienced student leaders who inspire and guide other student leaders. Angel was also President of the Chemical Engineering Student Management Committee and Chairperson for “Dialogue with SITizens”. These efforts earned her the SIT Student Leaders Award. Angel also did well academically and was a recipient of the Choo Chiau Beng Overseas Immersion Programme Scholarship.

Angel (centre) chaired the organising committee for ‘Dialogue with SITizens 2019’, with guest speaker Minister Chan Chun Sing (right).

Countless Hours of Hard Work

She recalled the struggles and concessions she had to make to achieve these goals. “I am not a fast learner, so I put many hours into studying and often stayed up until the wee hours of the morning for meetings and research,” said Angel. “For other activities, I would sometimes step back and give other students the chance to lead. That allowed me to learn from others whilst giving myself time to focus on my academic studies.” She also credits her parents, friends, and SIT faculty and staff for helping her throughout her journey.

During Angel’s trimester break in year one, she worked at Sembcorp Industries Pte Ltd commissioning and decommissioning pilot water membrane plants. Her Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) at Air Liquide Singapore Pte Ltd saw her create innovative solutions in their hydrogen production plant. Putting her event organising skills to good use, Angel also moderated a ChemEx event that attracted a record number of participating companies. “It was an enriching experience because it made me step out of my comfort zone, to learn about the entire hydrogen plant and an air separation cryogenic plant. There were some hands-on tasks where I had to resolve the issues quickly and build structures to rectify them,” she added.

Angel now works as a process engineer for HP Singapore Ink Manufacturing Operations at its Tuas site, where she oversees the ink-making process. She aims to practice innovative thinking and encourage collaboration among her colleagues. “I also want to pause and listen to my colleagues, so that I can gain more insights,” she said.

From left: Food Technology graduate Angela Goh. Angela with the SIT Women’s Tchoukball team.

A research engineer and project executive at FoodPlant Pte Ltd, Angela Goh is working with her favourite subject matter: food. “Food exploration has always been my passion throughout my growing up years. Good food gives me extra dopamine when I’m happy and comforts me when I’m sad,” she said.

It was a local infotainment series about how food goes from farm to table, which she watched when she was in her teens, that kindled her desire to learn the science behind food. That interest eventually led her to read the Food Technology programme jointly offered by SIT and Massey University.

Angela’s passion for food is mirrored in her dedication to both her studies and sports. She was awarded the SIT Scholarship to pursue the Food Technology programme, and graduated with Honours with highest distinction. Her IWSP stint at FrieslandCampina led to a collaboration with the company for her Final-Year Project on the “Characterisation of Factors Influencing Non-Enzymatic Gelation in UHT Milk”. She had the privilege to present the project to Minister Lawrence Wong during his visit to SIT in October 2020. Angela was also awarded The Foo Family Outstanding Student Award for Excellence in Problem Solving component of IWSP in Food Technology.

Angela (in the foreground) presenting her Final-Year Project to Minister Lawrence Wong.

A Leader Who Inspires Others

As Captain (2020–2021) and Vice-Captain (2019) of the Women’s Tchoukball team, Angela led her teammates to top placings in competitions, including Champions of SUniG 2018; 1st Runners-Up at the 9^th Inter Tertiary Tchoukball Championships 2020; and 2nd Runners-Up at the 5^th Asia-Pacific University Tchoukball Championship 2019 in Taiwan.

“Leading the Tchoukball team was a challenge, especially during the pandemic when physical training sessions were suspended – I had to keep the team intact and connected for esprit de corps,” she said. The team’s efforts was rewarded with the SIT Meritorious Team Award 2019 and the SIT Inspire Award 2019, which recognises athletes who have displayed exceptional qualities in their ability to influence others and achieve positive outcomes.

Now at FoodPlant, a small-batch food production shared facility jointly established by SIT, Enterprise Singapore, and JTC, Angela “aspires to inspire until she expires”. At her workplace, she participates in the setting-up and operation of the facility. Angela also provides technical support in the design, procurement, and commissioning of production lines as well as executes various other operations.

“The food industry is a huge cauldron with many specialty fields,” she said. “Research suits me best. I hope to expand my knowledge in food processing and innovate food products that are safe, nutritious, tasty, and sustainable.”