Hello, I am Irna Diyana Kartika Kamaluddin from Indonesia. I am in the last year of the four-year Ph.D. course at the Department of Immunology. Actually, I finished my oral defense on December 22nd, 2021. My major in this course is immunotherapy treatment against breast cancer. I am interested in breast cancer because breast cancer is now at the top of the causes of death in women worldwide. Fortunately, when I applied for the Ph.D. program in Shimane University, my supervisor also had a project relating to breast cancer. It was like a dream come true. I got knowledge about how to manage a project or an experiment along the whole process from the start to the successful acceptance from the journal.
   As a student, living in Izumo is a very beneficial thing for me because Izumo is a quiet city so we can concentrate on studying in a quiet and peaceful environment. Also, living cost is relatively low compared with other cities in Japan. Such a good combination of high quality of education and life makes me feel comfortable during these four years. In addition, people in Izumo are friendly and understand well that we are from a foreign country and have a different culture. It is helpful especially when it comes to the diet because we only eat halal food, the food properly processed under Muslim rule.
   I believe that, in the future, Shimane University will become one of the leading universities in Japan with its education level getting higher, and more and more collaborations with various organizations including universities, companies, or NPOs in other countries. For me, research is like a life, which needs thorough efforts and ample funding.  In order to conduct a project, you have to be well-versed in advanced techniques, and be patient because the results sometimes take much more time to come out than you expect. So, you need to have some leeway to enjoy and let it flow. My life motto is “Don’t stop learning until death picks you up”. Lastly, those who are interested in studying as a Ph.D. or Master’s student at Shimane University, please continue your studies as much as you can wherever you are, because good education produces a good life.

by Irna Diyana Kartika Kamaluddin, February 2022