Agnė Petkevičiūtė, originally from Šiauliai, was interested in more than one profession before she started studying at the Kaunas University of Technology. Although her parents were very demanding about good grades, they never pressured Agnes into a particular specialty. The former KTU student had enough freedom to search for her favorite science. Agnė didn’t hide that even aircraft piloting had become an “object” of her interest. A. Petkevičiūtė wanted to study this aircraft piloting specialty. As a child, she didn’t rule out the possibility of being an economist. Despite all her wishes, and taking into account the fact that she had various skin problems since childhood, Agnė began to admire makeup products, which is why studying Applied Chemistry became her first choice on the list.
We asked Agnė herself to tell us about her success story.
– How did you choose to study at KTU? Was it wishful thinking? Or maybe the opportunity to dive into “unknown waters”?
– Chemistry classes were one of the most interesting and always went well. This motivated me a lot to continue to not neglect this science. A chemistry teacher, she sometimes included in extracurricular activities various chemical tests “which will win: alkali or acid?” and “elephant nose” demonstrations in children’s homes and elsewhere. At the same time, a very close friend was a chemistry enthusiast, so he did extra work with the same students and aimed to teach them university-level problems.
– Being quite artistic, I saw cosmetic chemistry in the modules of the KTU applied chemistry study program in the 12th grade, I realized that I would enroll here as the first option, I had no idea how complex higher education was waiting for me.
– What made you choose Applied Chemistry studies?
– I already had various skin problems when I was at school, and at the same time I liked to try different make-up products, so I was most impressed by the opportunity to find out what was hidden in those bottles.
– What were the biggest challenges during your studies?
– There were many challenges, they greatly changed and shaped my personality. As a responsible young person, I always strived for good grades, sometimes I failed to get them.
– I was always very self-critical. There were also many sleepless nights due to not knowing how to study and plan time.
– What would you do differently if you were a first course student again?
– If it were possible to go back in time, I would definitely try the Erasmus program and strongly ask the teachers to accept me in additional activities.
– How is the knowledge acquired at the university useful in everyday activities?
– I couldn’t even imagine the value created by the modules in all areas, which at first glance had nothing to do with chemistry, but in fact very correctly formed us as specialists and taught general skills necessary for a modern person.
– Information technologies, philosophy, it was possible to choose between marketing, entrepreneurship modules or the basics of company management. KTU not only developed learning skills, provided specific knowledge, but also strengthened my other personal qualities – logical thinking, perseverance, hard work.
– If you have already had several roles on your professional path, tell us briefly about them. What did you remember the most?
– My path as a specialist began with the duties of a laboratory specialist at UAB Derma Factory, where I learned to manufacture cosmetic products, perform their quality analysis, deepened my knowledge of raw materials and production technologies. Later, I got the opportunity to contribute little by little to the product development and tweaking processes until I finally became a research and development specialist. I think that the specific knowledge, practice and the creativity that was always present in me came together.
– Currently, I am the production manager of Žiedė cosmetics, this is a new challenge in my career path. It seems that I could learn something new all my life. I didn’t feel it when I was in university, apparently, it’s “contagious”!
– What advice would you give to young people who are still studying at university and have no idea what they will do after graduation?
– Try all the possibilities, where there are open doors – additional activities in the laboratories, maybe your favorite teacher is running a project in which he could involve you, participate in career days, look for internships in companies earlier than the university requires. This will form your understanding of where and what you do and feel the meaning in everything.
Agnės Petkevičiūtės LinkedIn account: bit.ly/3KrVxmp
More about the Bachelor of Applied Chemistry study program: bit.ly/4c4lVP7
More about the Master’s program in Applied Chemistry: bit.ly/4e2UeI8