Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, has selected 150 students from 9 partner universities to be the recipients of our TELADAN Program 2020 cohort. The students have successfully undergone a lengthy selection process since September 2019, taking part in assessments including written tests and interviews. Besides receiving scholarships, TELADAN participants also acquire other skills such as leadership abilities and organizational skills which will prepare them to become future leaders. We spoke to five of the new Tanoto Scholars to get their reactions on being selected, and to hear about their aspirations and how they plan to give back to society:

Ribka Novita Sari

Industrial Engineering, University of Indonesia (UI)

I’m very happy and grateful because God has granted my wish. With the help of the TELADAN Program, I hope to become academically better and also to improve my organizational skills. I also hope that TELADAN continues to support Indonesian students to contribute their best to our society, nation and world.

I am committed to maintaining a GPA of above 3.5. In my third year, I’d like to apply to become the university’s Management of Information Systems and Decision Support laboratory research assistant, and to take part in Industrial Engineering competitions. I also aspire to be a project officer during the Engineering Faculty open house event, and to be involved in social projects within the campus as well as beyond it.

Kevin Ryan

Electrical and Informatics Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology

I’m so glad that my aspiration to be a part of the future leaders community has been realized. I can’t wait to attend leadership trainings, and improve my teamwork, management and communication skills, and self-development.

Since I now have TELADAN’s support, I will surely be more diligent in studying. On the non-academic side, I aim to be more involved in organisations. I’m aiming to become the chair of at least one project – any project that will require me to lead a team.

Miranda Lutfi Nasution

Law, University of North Sumatra

I believe that TELADAN Program leadership trainings will help me enhance my leadership skills, and other soft skills. Being a Tanoto Scholar means I can also expand my network with students from other universities in Indonesia.

I’m determined to improve my GPA which is currently at 3.78. I also want to be among the Leading Achiever Students in my university, and to become a summa cum laude graduate in four years. I hope this will then usher me to a postgraduate program in International Law in Leiden University in the Netherlands.

During my time in university, I plan to participate in numerous paper writing competitions, law debates and English debates. I also want to commit to the Tanoto Scholars Association (TSA) in Medan, and work together with my fellow Tanoto Scholars to share knowledge and plan activities.

Farhan ‘Afif Arrahul

Psychology, Gadjah Mada University

I have known about the TELADAN Program since high school. For me, it is relevant and in line with my future life plan. By being a Tanoto Scholar, I’m confident I will be able to contribute to Indonesia, especially with my major which is psychology.

I will not waste this opportunity, and I’m committed to participating in TELADAN Program activities, making my family proud, always improving my academic achievements and also taking part in the development of science. I also look forward to being active in organisations and event planning, and to serving society and my country.

Nabilah Nur Afifah

Management, IPB University

My biggest motivation to be part of TELADAN Program is to become a responsible leader in the future who will bring pride to my family. With TELADAN, I wish to enhance my knowledge and experience, and be useful to the people around me. I also want to develop my soft skills, especially my leadership skills.

As a Tanoto Scholar, I aim to uphold my responsibility by studying hard to improve my GPA, and also to be actively involved at planning events in and outside the campus, in other to improve my organizational skills.

Written by: Astrini Novi Puspita

Being a participant of Tanoto Foundation’s Leadership Program (TELADAN Program), or a Tanoto Scholar, has been an invaluable experience. I was a Tanoto Scholar from 2011 to 2015, when I was majoring in Management in the Faculty of Economics and Business at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). I was given many opportunities during this time, and I am still reaping TELADAN’s benefits now even when I’m part of the professional workforce.

I am currently working as an Education Policy Specialist at the Papua Desk at the National Development Planning Agency or BAPPENAS. My responsibility is to help implement a national action plan to accelerate Papua’s education progress as stated in the President Decree No. 9/2017. I also monitor and identify challenges to the program, and subsequently develop recommendations for policies to be implemented in accelerating the quality of education in Papua.

At BAPPENAS, my job requires me to collaborate with numerous stakeholders, from ministries to regional governments. It would be challenging to do this, if I did not understand collaboration and lacked the ability to work in a team. In this regard, I feel that I strongly benefitted from the leadership training I received as Tanoto Scholar, which had a strong emphasis on strenghtening teamwork abilities.

Another skill I gained from being a Tanoto Scholar was the ability to build networks. From the time I started studying at UGM, I began building networks with my fellow Tanoto Scholars as well as people I met at the various conferences I attended. Attending conferences is one of my hobbies, and I find that forming networks tend to lead me to other achievements.

Having a broad network exposes me to a range of useful information I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. It’s through network information and recommendations that I managed to participate in the 2015 Young Leaders of Indonesia Program,  and went on to become a delegate member of the Australian National University-Indonesia Gifted Researchers Program.

These experiences in turn proved to be a useful asset when I joined BAPPENAS. Working to create positive change in society has always been something I’ve dreamed about since I started university.

When I work on a work-study trip (Kuliah Kerja Nyata/KKN) in Lombok, I saw that education in the region is far behind of that which I enjoy in my hometown of Yogyakarta. During that trip, I witnessed the fact that in West Nusa Tenggara, some 1,700 children are not able to continue their elementary and junior high school education.

From there, I resolved to be involved directly in work which would create solutions to problems in Indonesia. Working in BAPPENAS is a way for me to move Indonesia forward. It’s also in line with the ‘pay it forward’ concept which encourages Tanoto Scholars to pass along good deeds to others in need.

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Tanoto Foundation is an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981.