My name is Dwi Rasy Mujiyanti. I was born in Gresik, a small town in East Java Province,
Indonesia, on May 16, 1981. Born as the second child of H. Achmad Muchtar (deceased) and
Hj. Rodhiyah, the early years of my childhood started in Gresik, before my family finally moved
to Lamongan, a district which is about 34 km from where I was born.

In Lamongan, I spent most of my childhood. I lived a good time as a little girl who dreamt of
becoming a doctor or nurse. My goal was quite simple, just so I’d be able to look after and
care for my parents in their old age. In 1987, I started the first stage of my education. I went
to Made IV Lamongan Public Elementary School (SDN), located not far from where I used to
live. I completed all of my primary and secondary education in Lamongan. After I graduated
from elementary school in 1993, I went to SMP Negeri 1 Lamongan and graduated in 1996.
After that, I went to SMAN 2 Lamongan to finish my secondary education. In the three years
that it took for me to I finish high school, until I graduated 1996, my perspectives continued
to grow and develop.

My great interest in science has shifted my initial childhood ideals as a doctor. I chose a
science-related department when I started college. At that time, my obsession was to be a
researcher and work in a laboratory. Finally, I was accepted at the Department of Chemistry,
Brawaijaya University. It’s one of the leading universities in East Java and has also been
acknowledged as one of the 10 best universities in Indonesia. I spent five years (1999-2004)
to completing my education at Brawijaya University, where I graduated with a thesis titled:
“The Effect of Solution pH and Concentration of Sr(NO3)2 Supernatant Gel on The Formation
of Strontium Tartrate Single Crystal in Gel Metasilicate.”

After finishing my undergraduate degree, my obsession with science had motivated me to
pursue higher education by taking a master (S2) at Gajah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta,
in 2005. Yogyakarta is a special city, with a strong cultural tradition and bearing the city of
education. At UGM I deepened my chemistry. After two challenging years of graduate study
in Yogyakarta, I finally graduated in 2007 with a thesis: “Multi Metals Adsorption of Ag(I),
Pb(II), Cr(III), Cu(II) and Ni(II) on Mercapto -Silica Hybrid From Rice Hull Ash “. It was one of
the joyous moments in my life, because it meant I have completed an important chapter of
higher education that has been one of my goals in life. However, graduating from UGM also
meant that the real journey of my life has begun: a journey to accomplish the life goals that
I have set and also to make my parents proud of me (to be continued)

“Because for me, knowledge is a fire that must kept on burning to shine a light in this life“