Goodwill hunting: Profiles of the students

Goodwill hunting: Profiles of the students

Muhamad Syafril (Pii to his friends), 24, comes from Bangka
Island. His father is a tin miner, his mother a homemaker. The
eldest of four graduated in 2003 from University of Indonesia
(UI) School of Dentistry. In 2002, he was awarded the 2002
national award for academic excellence. He practices every Monday
at Global Doctor and tutors two Gandhi Memorial International
School students every evening.

On Goodwill: Aside from financial support, the scholarship
training program provides a platform for sharing between students
with a similar background. And the English language courses give
us a chance to study with native speakers.

The program also provides role models through their
commitment. I remember one trainer, Julie. She said, 'See this
rubbish? It won't leave my hand until it reaches a rubbish bin'.
It's not just the training -- the sponsors, trainers, they're an
inspiration. They just give, and don't want anything in return.

On family: My father said to me, "I can't give you anything"
-- you know, no money, no land -- "except education". He was the
one who urged me to go to Jakarta and go as far as I could with
my education. He didn't want me to be a tin miner like him.

Dreams/goals: A goal? Well, I'd like to continue my studies
overseas -- lots of (Goodwill) alumni want to do the same. Why
overseas? Well, I can broaden my mind and pursue advanced
sciences. As for a dream, I'd like to implement a health program
at a basic (grassroots) level to help people. Well, on a national
scale if I can, but that's a really big dream. Maybe impossible.
So I'll start small, in a community, a village.

Personal motto: Be happy, no matter what happens.

Nanang Siswanto, 24, comes from a farming family in Madiun,
East Java, and is the youngest of six. His father passed away
last August. He graduated from Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB)
in 2003 with a degree in Forest Product Technology and worked 10
months as a lecturer at the University of North Sumatra, Medan.
He is now at Unilever as a marketing management trainee.

On Goodwill: When I was a lecturer, I tried to impart all the
training I got from ICAC (now Goodwill). It's important not to
focus only on our studies, but to develop a comprehensive view
beyond our own scope -- a helicopter view.

The training gave us job interviewing skills and helped my
self-confidence, also communication skills. It really gave me
confidence to talk to foreigners in English and so I decided to
apply to Unilever.

I'm proud of my training, and I'm always telling my friends
and colleagues about the program. At my office, we have casual
Fridays, and I often wear my ICAC T-shirt ...

On family: My parents are just small farmers, but they sent me
to the best schools in Madiun, and my brother and sister in
Bogor, they have their own families but supported me, too. I want
to be independent, improve myself and improve my family's
situation. Now, my mother can say to her neighbors, "I may be
just a small farmer, but look at my son -- he went to
university".

Dreams/goals: I want to prove myself through my effort and be
useful for myself and others around me as ICAC did. I'd like to
have a business of my own one day and contribute to the community
-- I'm learning now about business through experience.

Personal motto: Everything can be achieved if you want, desire
it, through strength and taking opportunities. If you go willing
from your heart, you can succeed with effort, and even weaknesses
can become strengths.

Akbar Meirio, 26, is from Sukapura, North Jakarta. His father,
now retired, was a gatekeeper at port authority PT Pelindo II;
his mother is a homemaker. Akbar is the only son of three
children. He went to a technical high school and worked two years
at Toshiba before entering the International Relations program at
UI, and supported himself by fixing electronic appliances from
home until he received Goodwill sponsorship. Akbar was awarded
last year the Dean's Award for best cumulative GPA and is in his
final year at UI.

On Goodwill: The scholarship is useful and helpful. Because of
the financial support, I was able to focus on my studies, and it
also gave me the opportunity to enjoy campus life. I'm now active
in the Islamic Study Forum, which is concerned with Islam in a
social sciences context, the student study club Eka Prasetya,
which focuses on research and socio-political issues. I think
these may help approach religion in a social context toward
international understanding. And last year, I was able to go on
an ASEAN-Korea exchange program for one semester to Dae Jong
University.

On family: My parents have always supported our education, but
there was no money. They always said, though, that if you really
want and really try, you can make it.

Dreams/goals: I would like to go for a Masters in
International Relations, studying abroad if possible. I'll try to
get a scholarship. A dream, well... I want to be a diplomat. And
this is a really big dream, but I'd like to be the Indonesian
ambassador to the United Nations....
Personal motto: I believe that if you do the best, you can get
the best.

Lenny Junyanty, 22, is from Kota, West Jakarta. Her father is a
biro jasa, providing a service in obtaining official documents
such as drivers' licenses and ID cards, her mother is a
homemaker. The eldest of four, Lenny is in her final year of UI's
Psychology program with a focus on educational psychology, and is
a member of a Buddhist students organization.

On Goodwill: The program has really helped with my education.
My father's work is not stable -- his income is not steady, and
depends on how many orders come in -- so I was worried I might
need to drop out to support my parents.

I'm a ... well, I call myself a scholarship hunter, and I can
say there are no scholarships like this one....

Last year, I got the chance to join Prestasi Junior
International -- it's affiliated with Junior Achievement
International, which offers economic experiential education and
educational opportunities abroad. I was chosen to be the
Indonesian representative and went to the international student
conference in Chicago, but I think that was the final conference.
There's no more funding.

This year, I'm applying to AEIJ, an Indonesia-Japan exchange
program with a maximum 10-month program.

On family: My family is ... well, I'm Chinese, you see, but
not rich. There are lots of Chinese with underprivileged
backgrounds. My parents support my education, especially my
mother. She's a terrific woman. I don't know how she did it, but
she is very efficient with the little my father makes so that we
could always eat three times a day and go to school, and even buy
new clothes for New Year's.

Dreams/goals: I want to be involved in education. My long-term
goal, well, I want to have my own school or help at a junior high
or elementary school, develop a curriculum.

So I need to make stepping stones. After I graduate, I'd like
to join a consulting firm. That way, I can increase my knowledge,
learning, skills and network ...

Personal motto: If I know there is a need, I can fulfill it.
If I am able to do it on my own, I'll do it; if I need help, I'll
ask for it. If there's a chance, I'm willing to try.

Hendry Yamin, 22, is from Central Jakarta. His father is a
private driver, his mother a homemaker, both with elementary
school educations. Hendry's older brother dropped out of school
to get a job and support the family. His younger sister is in
high school. He is in his final year at UI, pursuing a degree in
Business Administration, and is research and development
coordinator of the Mangga Dua University Students' Association,
which provides free English and computer lessons to unemployed
adults and Mangga Dua dropouts.

On Goodwill: The scholarship program not only give financial
support, but training for leadership skills. They provide
different programs, like English conversation, how to make
proposals, CVs, interviewing skills. It teaches how to be an
independent person.

I think I'm a more open-minded person (now). And it helped
with socializing, especially in a social environment, in the
community. It also teaches about friendship, in relationships, to
make them bigger, to spread.

On family: They always give support for higher education, even
to borrowing from our relatives. They're concerned about their
children's education. They don't want their children to have the
same life as them.

Dreams/goals: A goal... I would say I have a vision. I would
like to be a knowledgeable, social, independent person. I'm maybe
interdependent now.

In the short-term, I want to find a good career for the next
20 years and help many foundations with a core competence in
scholarships to needy students in Indonesia.

Personal motto: As human beings, we have to take care of our
society, not just to satisfy ourselves, but try to understand our
society's needs.