Stepping out from your comfort zone is not easy, but Almi Alfarghiani Casbana proves that courage to give an attempt can pave the way into a big dreams. Almi, the 2022 Ajinomoto Scholarship awardee has successfully earned a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Nutritional Science from Kagawa Nutrition University (KNU), Japan. Almi's journey began when she found information about the Ajinomoto Scholarship through the official Ajinomoto Indonesia website (https://www.ajinomoto.co.id/id/beasiswa).
For Almi, participating in the Ajinomoto Scholarship selection held by PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA was considered very strict because only one person was selected as an awardee. She is very grateful to be an awardee in the 2022 academic year, starting as a research student in April 2022 - March 2023, continuing her studies as a Master Program student in April 2023 - March 2025, and successfully graduating and being awarded in April 2025. After graduating and being awarded, Almi has now also pursued her career as a Research & Development at Kawasaki Factory - Ajinomoto, Co., Inc.
“Ajinomoto Scholarship is an extraordinary scholarship program, each year only one scholarship recipient is selected. So it can be said that Ajinomoto is looking for the best to be given a scholarship to continue studying in Japan. PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA as the selection organizer is very professional and serious in handling the scholarship program. I would like to express my gratitude to PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA for making my dream come true to continue my Master Program studies in Japan. During the Ajinomoto scholarship program, I not only deepened my knowledge and understanding in the field of food and nutrition but also gained valuable experience by meeting friends from various countries and cultural backgrounds, which broadened my horizons and perspectives. During this scholarship program, I was also able to focus on my studies and feel safe and comfortable because the Ajinomoto scholarship program provides living expenses that are more than enough for me to survive living in Japan,” said Almi.
“After completing my studies at KNU, thank God I was accepted to pursue a career at Research & Development Department of Ajinomoto Headquarter (Ajinomoto, Co., Inc) in Japan. Maybe all of my friends assume that because I am an Ajinomoto Scholarship awardee before, I can immediately work at Ajinomoto Japan. However, scholarship awardees from Indonesia are actually free to choose their own career paths. After graduating, I make a target to get career in a food company so that it is in line with my field of study, and Ajinomoto, Co., Inc., which is one of the giant food companies in Japan, is my main option. Therefore, I registered and took part in the selection process with the same path as other normal applicants, namely the selection stage, starting from document selection, scholastic test, interview stage 1, interview stage 2, and final interview. The selection process at Ajinomoto Japan is very strict and long, considering that Ajinomoto is one of the companies included in the Top 5 main choices for Japanese graduates according to several well-known job-hunting sites (such as Asahi Gakujo, MyNavi, Yahoo! News, etc.), so I had to compete with the best graduates from all over Japan. Alhamdulillah, I managed to pass all the selection stages,” she continued.
Behind her success story, Almi also shared about the difficulties she faced when he studied in Japan for 3 years. “At the beginning of this scholarship program as a research student at KNU, I faced language barriers because all communication and lectures on campus were conducted in Japanese, especially related to technical terms in the field of food and nutrition. However, I feel very grateful because the Ajinomoto Scholarship also covered the costs for language school facilities for one year. Studying at a language school allowed me to improve my Japanese language skills intensively, so that I finally managed to pass the JLPT N1. When entering the second year (Master Program), initially, I still had difficulty using the analysis tools that are an important part of research. However, thanks to the guidance and support from seniors in the laboratory, I was finally able to master the analysis techniques and began to conduct research independently,” said Almi.
“While continuing my studies in Japan, the most memorable moment for me was when I presented my research results at a scientific conference at ‘The 78th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science’ held in Fukuoka. This was my first experience attending a scientific conference, so I felt nervous and anxious. However, my sensei (supervisor) and lab-mates were very helpful by providing presentation exercises and input on the presentation flow so that it would be easier for the audience to understand. Thanks to their support, I managed to give a smooth presentation and was able to answer questions confidently in the discussion session. This moment was also very memorable because I was able to visit Fukuoka, which is located in Kyushu prefecture at the southern tip of Japan’s main island,” she continued.
During her Master Program studies and now pursuing a career in Japan, Almi also used her time to learn about Japanese culture, which is a new culture for her. Of course, this girl from Sukabumi often misses home, especially Indonesian food. To reduce her homesickness, Almi often makes her own Indonesian dishes by buying ingredients and spices from specialty stores that sell Indonesian products. "I am very grateful that the ingredients that I often use when I was in Indonesia, for example SAORI®, Sajiku® and Masako®, can still be found in Indonesian stores in Japan. In addition, I also follow the Dapur Umami® Instagram account and website to see recipes and inspiration for Indonesian menu ideas that are always appetizing," said Almi.
"After graduating from my Masters and now working in R&D Ajinomoto Japan, in the future I want to contribute more to society by developing the potential of amino acids in presenting deliciousness in every dish so that it can encourage the consumption of food with balanced nutrition, as well as through research on the function of amino acids in helping to create solutions to people's nutritional problems," concluded Almi.
Another story comes from an Ajinomoto scholarship awardee who has just finished participating in the 2026 academic year scholarship selection held by PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA. He is Rafiq Usdiqa Maulana. This young man from Solok, West Sumatra, had previously completed his bachelor’s degree in the Biotechnology Study Program - Brawijaya University, and in the Ajinomoto scholarship program 2026 he will undergo a Master Degree at one of the best Japanese universities of his choice.
"I feel very grateful and honored to have been selected as a recipient of the Ajinomoto scholarship for the 2026 academic year. During the selection process, I felt a great commitment and appreciated the dedication of PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA and the Ajinomoto Foundation in supporting the young generation of Indonesia in achieving their dreams of continuing their studies in Japan," said Rafiq.
"Through this scholarship, I hope to be able to undergo this Master Program study as well as possible and make a real contribution in the field that I am pursuing. Thank you for the trust and this extraordinary opportunity," he continued.