OUR INDONESIAN SCHOLARS

Nugroho

Nugroho came to America in the summer of 2008, as one of RIEI’s 1st scholarship recipients, to begin his studies at Shorter University, in Rome, Georgia. In his junior year, he was inducted into Alpha Chi Honor Society and Sigma Beta Delta Scholastic Fraternity. He served as President of the Shorter University International Society, as well as sharing his experiences in America with people in Indonesia via announcing for Radio PPI Dunia online. In May of 2012, after graduating summa cum laude, with a degree in Accounting and a minor in Fraud Examination, he returned home to Indonesia. He is currently a full-time employee of Total, a French multinational integrated oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world. This job took him to Kalimantan, on the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. He now lives in Balikpapan, a seaport city on the east coast of the island. He says that he is happy living in Balikpapan because it is similar to the hilly area where he grew up in West Sumatra, and he enjoys the relaxed pace of life there. In January 2015 Nugroho was married in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra.

Ruddi

Ruddi started his freshman year at Berry College in the fall of 2008. He graduated in May 2012 with a degree in Studio Art. Ruddi's ultimate dream is to teach Art at the university level in Indonesia. He discovered his passion for teaching at Berry while sharing Pancek Silat, a form of Indonesian martial arts, with other Berry students his freshman year. His junior year he won the Berry College Memorial Library Purchase Award for a ceramic wall relief. He also worked as a Teaching Assistant within the Art Dept his senior year. Upon returning home, Ruddi was hired by Trans TV, a privately owned television station, based in Jakarta that airs nationally in Indonesia. He is now a lead writer for the Indonesian franchise of the “Dr. Oz Show”. He oversees a team of four other writers. They choose and research show topics and write the scripts. While the job entails long hours and can be intense, Ruddi very much enjoys the work.

Syaweli

Syaweli was our first student to do a prep year at Darlington School, here in Rome, Ga. He returned to Indonesia in May of 2009 and was accepted into the Occupational Health and Safety Faculty at The University of Indonesia. Syaweli was the first person from his small village to ever gain acceptance into this prestigious university! Syaweli graduated from UI in August 2013, and went to work for Petrosea, one of Indonesia's leading contractors in Mining, Engineering and Construction Services. This position took Syaweli to Batu Kajang, where he now lives. He says that he is enjoying learning many new things and meeting many new people.

"If you have a dream, dream big, and do not just imagine it, study hard, work hard to achieve it. Do not afraid of failure every time fou fail and fall down get back up and get stronger, learn from it and be a better one. And most important thing of all when you want to achieve your dreams never forget Pray to God, Allah SWT, He will leads and helps us to the best way"