2 April 2025
April is Global Volunteer Month, a time to recognize volunteers supporting their communities worldwide, and to inspire volunteerism in others. At Illumina, employees are encouraged to volunteer in the communities where they live. Throughout the year, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team leads various efforts where employees can make an impact. Additionally, employees who log their volunteer time receive volunteer rewards to donate to a charity of their choosing.
“The culture of giving back is strongly embedded at Illumina,” says Illumina Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility Vanessa Light. “Many employees choose to work here because, at the core, we are a mission-driven company working to solve the world’s biggest challenges. It’s natural that employees want to support their own communities. The CSR team empowers volunteers to not only get involved but to grow their leadership skills.”
Here's what a few more Illumina employees had to share about their volunteering with the company.
“I train employee volunteers in leading Genomics 101, an in-classroom opportunity that highlights how students can see genomics in the world. As part of The Future Is Bright, celebrating international DNA Day on April 25, 2024, we invited more than 150 local schoolchildren from disadvantaged areas to our Europe HQ in Cambridge. They took part in a fun day of strawberry DNA extraction experiments, lab tours, meet-the-scientist sessions, and more. I presented the strawberry DNA sessions to four groups of kids, one after the other. I am very passionate about science education, so to hear the kids’ comments and see the sparkle in their eyes was truly rewarding. Some of them would never have had access to science without this event.
“I once held a career chat at a high school in my hometown and a 14-year-old girl told me afterwards, ‘Madame, I want to be just like you!’ When something like that happens, you feel you have made an impact on someone! Transferring a little bit of the passion I have for genomics brings me back to the reason I work at Illumina. In 2024, we reached 698 STEM learners in five European countries! You know some of these students will help make the world a better place.”
—Laetitia Hazan, Staff Regional Marketing Manager; Nîmes, France
“Since 2023, I’ve had the honor of serving as the Illumina Cares Singapore Committee’s chairperson, helping to drive initiatives that make a positive impact. One of the most inspiring aspects of my volunteering experience at Illumina is witnessing the incredible enthusiasm and generosity of our employees. I’m always impressed by how ready everyone is to give back and support our events. There have been times when we opened up volunteering opportunities, and all the vacancies were filled within just one to two hours.
“Beyond giving back, our volunteering events also serve as a wonderful platform for employees to bond outside of work, foster a sense of community, and collaborate across teams. Personally, this experience has allowed me to meet people from various departments, learn about their roles, and gain a deeper understanding of the diverse work being done at Illumina. It’s been incredibly enriching to see how everyone’s contributions come together to support our shared mission.”
—Elio Suriyanto Tan, Staff Software Quality Engineer, Singapore
“I have been involved in the planning and organization of every CSR activity in Singapore since 2016. One memorable event was the Pink Charity Bazaar. We partnered with Breast Cancer Foundation Singapore to host an educational talk for Biopolis employees on awareness and preventive care. We also invited a breast cancer survivor to share her personal story. I am thankful that we managed to raise US $2560 for the beneficiaries at the foundation, and we also encouraged many Singapore Biopolis employees to give back to the community.
“I am extremely proud to be a part of Illumina, a company that advocates strongly for giving back. I have always been a believer in helping underprivileged groups, and Illumina certainly makes it way easier by providing the necessary platform and resources.”
—Janet Lim, Office Manager, Singapore Biopolis
“I’m involved in a number of STEM outreach activities, including site tours, school visits, and a four-week Illumina Mentoring Program with our local school district. Every summer since 2021, students in the program have learned about genomics and careers in the life sciences. We wanted the local students to find pride in their town, which has a rich history of genomics and sequencing instruments since the 1990s. Over the course of the program, students meet with biotech industry professionals and learn valuable communication and public speaking skills. Illumina volunteers coach and mentor the students as they prepare an independent project and presentation.
“There is a lot of support and encouragement from the CSR team to be proactive and create volunteer opportunities that we are passionate about. Volunteering is a way to give back and pay it forward. I’ve had a lot of mentors who’ve encouraged and inspired me throughout my career, and when I volunteer, it’s also my way of saying thank you.”
—Tesa Dinio Abad, Senior Manager of Systems Engineering, Lifecycle Management; Hayward, California
