Crystal Aura Gaze

This month marks my one year anniversary working as a Formulations Technician.

I’m grateful for a job that challenges me to meet my full potential. In this past year, I am amazed at how much I have grown and how many skills I’ve conquered: from aseptic technique, to glove bag preparations, mortar and pestle use, and more. I’ve learned how to properly use and verify laboratory equipment including micropipettes, pH meters, density meters, osmometers, and so forth. I have mastered taking concentration and homogeneity samples with passing results.

I understand how to use mathematical equations and conversions to calculate how many grams and milliliters are required, according to their concentration and density. I am competent in preparing vehicles, control articles, test articles, dose analysis, range fingers, etc. And last but not least, I am well versed in accurate documentation and data review — as well as thoroughly assessing protocols and formulation batch records, plus creating my own logs and labels with Microsoft Excel.

I am incredibly thankful to work with a team that has guided me, with diligence and patience, through everything I have accomplished. I took my initial failures and used them as ample opportunity to grow. Rather than becoming frustrated with setbacks, I mustered optimism and ambition to further myself as a technician. And as my experience has grown, it has been delightful to teach newer technicians what I’ve learned.

I’m proud to say that I work for a company that encourages growth, welcomes changes, and gives space for constructive feedback. I’m looking forward to my future as a formulations technician and I can’t wait to see how much more progress I will achieve in another year from now. So far, it has been a great fit, and I truly feel a sense of belonging here. Most importantly, I feel a deep sense of purpose working at a medical research company — knowing how many loved ones out there are suffering, especially young children with rare diseases — and making an impact to ease pain and save lives.