In Indonesia, villages are a common sight despite rapid urbanization.

Here at home,
distinguishing these villages is effortless, as broken roads and foul odors are among their
common features, providing a stark difference between the more developed counterparts of the
city.

I have grown to hate this contrast as it also divides the people whose national motto is centered
around unity. Throughout high school, I have spent a great deal of time sharing life with villagers
around the city in an attempt to both break the status quo and to find areas where I can provide
practical aid.

If given the opportunity, my time at CMU-Q will be an extension of my mission to mitigate the
differences between the dwellers of these villages and their more lavish living counterparts, an
economical issue as much as it a mathematical, philosophical, communication, and cultural
issue.

Courses like Models and Methods for Optimization will allow me to compare and analyze
business strategies that are scalable for even the economies of countries, so that I may
optimize the dynamics between Indonesia’s companies for the betterment of the Indonesian
people. In Global Histories the thought processes behind the most prominent men of all time as
well as the mistakes humanity has made in its history will be unveiled, guiding me in my choices
for what I will advocate for in trying to bring about equality in Indonesia.

As the captain of my soccer team and the co-leader of Chaplain Society (one of two main
student organizations in my small school), I believe being a servant constitutes a great
proportion of what it means to be a leader: for two years I volunteered to teach English to middle
schoolers in a poverty-ridden village before leading a group out there during a schoolwide
outreach event. I hope to find similar opportunities through Tartans Without Borders. Yet, it is
the dual effort from my experience in whatever leadership position I find myself in as well as the
mentorship I will be placed under from the weekly GPS Leadership Program workshops that will
mold me into a middleman who can speak up for the marginalized and speak into the affluent,
bridging the less privileged of Indonesia’s villages with the more fortunate city residents.

Finally, in an effort to bring a little piece of my home to CMU-Q, I wish to immerse myself in
various cultures. As I share Indonesia’s beautiful art style of batik on International Day, others
will share their cultural foods, dances, language, and traditions; on the soccer pitch as part of
CMU-Q’s Men’s Football club, a bond will be formed as I share a common love for soccer with
friends who come from all kinds of backgrounds. Through my active involvement, I hope to bring
back the experiences of a diverse community to bring people together in Indonesia.

I’ll be far from home for a while, but I am secure in knowing that when I come back, I will be a
better individual, fit to fill the spaces within Indonesia’s social landscape and to unite people who
are immeasurably distinct yet equally valuable.