Indonesia

Vina Qurrota Akyuningrum has five years of experience in education, especially in teaching English in Lampung, Indonesia. She has been teaching English since she was 18. She taught English to children as a volunteer for three months during junior high school, senior high school, and during an internship in 2020. 

Currently, she is a teaching assistant at Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia and teaches English for Business and English for Tourism for the Faculty of Arts and Education, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Business and Management. She is also a scholarship speaker on student exchange in seminars and podcasts.

Vina is interested in teaching English not only for university students but also for children and teenage students. Since 2023, she built a course named Nataa.id. A platform for students who want to learn English and apply for scholarships. Nataa.id is located in West Lampung and also has online classes via Zoom meeting and Google Meet. Vina is interested in growing Nataa.id in the future.

Vina is an alumna of the Global UGRAD program. She is interested in cross-cultural understanding and is engaged in research for her thesis. She was honored with being named the best graduate student in English Education at Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia, in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia. Besides teaching and building Nataa.id, Vina is active as an influencer on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. 

Vini Alfarina has four years of experience working as a study abroad consultant at Schoters by Ruangguru. She has assisted 150+ students in securing acceptance from 50+ universities and scholarships globally. Additionally, Vini holds a dual position as an academic operations officer, responsible for creating personalized learning plans for students based on their backgrounds and ensuring that all consultation sessions adhere to standards.

Previously, Vini volunteered at the International Humanity Foundation in Bali, where she taught English, computers, and basic math to children aged 6 to 17. She managed the center's daily operations, which gave her insight into the complex challenges that educational NGOs in Indonesia face, from resource allocation to administrative logistics.

Vini's academic journey includes participating in the prestigious Global UGRAD program. During her exchange program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Vini enrolled in a Women's and Gender Studies course that inspired her to write a thesis on the role of INGOs in advocating for intersectional discrimination faced by Indian Dalit Women. This thesis helped her earn a bachelor's degree in political science from Andalas University. Her goal is to contribute to advancing Indonesian human resources through education, particularly by addressing the educational disparities that marginalized communities faced.

Wa Ode Siti Amanah has seven years of experience in human resource management in Kendari, Indonesia, with her most recent position being Foreman HRGA at PT. Energy Metal Indonesia (an LX International Corp. Affiliated Company). Her expertise is in HR management of the mining sector, where she has to deal with a substantial workforce and unique human resources issues.

Throughout her professional journey, she has actively participated in NGOs, primarily focusing on education. Currently, she serves as the secretary of the International Scholarship Alumni of Southeast Sulawesi (INSAN Sultra) collaborating with other international scholarship alumni from various programs in the region. INSAN Sultra is dedicated to assisting young individuals in pursuing education abroad through scholarships previously awarded to its members.

She is additionally a member of the KPN Alumnus Corps of Southeast Sulawesi, an NGO compromising youth alumni of the KPN program under the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs of Indonesia. Despite it being a small NGO, this NGO is committed to educating students and youths across Southeast Sulawesi. One of its notable programs focuses on providing educational support to students in remote areas, assisting them in pursuing and planning for higher education.

Cristine Claudia has seven years of experience in environmental activism and is currently the Urban Justice Project Officer at Greenpeace Southeast Asia Chapter in Indonesia. Passionate about environmental issues, GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion), and public policy. Cristine advances Jakarta's resilience with vulnerable communities, particularly those disproportionately affected by environmental crises, such as the residents of Rusunawa Marunda, who are often excluded from the decision-making process, especially women. 

Before joining Greenpeace, Cristine co-founded #PipetKite, a social enterprise producing eco-friendly bamboo straws, empowering local housewives in Rasau Jaya 3 until the business closed in 2020. She coordinated the first Women’s March in Pontianak in 2018 and co-founded Gerakan Perempuan Pontianak (GPP) in 2020, a movement dedicated to providing sexual and gender education to youth, a taboo subject in her hometown.

Cristine currently runs Kalbar Connext, a community uniting young professionals from West Kalimantan who reside outside the region to empower local youth through training, mentoring, and competitions, enhancing human resource quality in West Kalimantan. 

An alumna of the Global UGRAD program, Cristine studied international relations with a focus on gender studies at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, USA. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Tanjungpura University.

Ni Made Dwi Dharmiyanti has six years of experience in environmental and sustainable economic development in Indonesia. She is currently a senior associate of project management at Delterra Indonesia, where she developed partnerships with local and village governments, managing the implementation of waste management transformation program in Badung, Bali, Indonesia.  

Prior to joining the NGO, she worked in sustainable business development at Mitsui & Co., Indonesia, developing green energy projects in various business sectors across Indonesia for two years. Her passion for environment and community goes beyond her professional experiences. Dwi is a volunteer at PlastikDetox and has been working with the organization to campaigning the reduction single-use plastic usage to small businesses in Bali for more than four years. 

Dwi is an alumna of the Global UGRAD program and during her program studied the cost of externalities caused by the economic activities from the case studies of United States and developing countries, including Indonesia at Bemidji State University. Dwi obtained her bachelor’s degree in management economics from Udayana University.

Teuku Ikhsanul Sabri, known as Ikhsan, is a dedicated individual pursuing his education in civil engineering at Lhokseumawe State Polytechnic. Alongside his academic journey, Ikhsan is the chairman at the Improving English Club Of Polytechnic (IECLOP), guiding his peers in mastering the English language for various academic and extracurricular endeavors, including competitions and international exchanges. 

Beyond the campus, Ikhsan serves as a facilitator in the Child Forum Program under the Aceh Hijau Foundation and UNICEF, where he educates children on crucial issues like child protection and bullying. Moreover, he contributes his time and expertise as a tutor in the Gerakan Mengajar Desa Aceh, striving to enhance educational standards in rural communities. Ikhsan's passion for community service and academic excellence has made him a respected figure both on and off campus.

His participation in the Global UGRAD program at the University of Alabama has significantly enriched his personal and academic growth, providing him with valuable insights into both civil engineering and cross-cultural interactions, marking it as a transformative experience in his life.

Putri is a passionate geotechnical engineer who is dedicated to promoting inclusivity in her work. With over five years of experience as a geotechnical engineer and project manager, she has worked on various major infrastructure projects in Australia and Indonesia, including water treatment plants, slope failure remediation, train station upgrades, and the design of mining facilities.

As a woman with a disability pursuing a career in a predominantly male-dominated field, she recognizes the importance of providing equal opportunities for all, especially for people with disabilities. To support this cause, she actively engages with the disability community and is involved in organizations such as Kerjabilitas in Indonesia, which aims to create partnerships with industries to provide career opportunities for people with disabilities. In Australia, she was an alumna of the Australia Disability Network (AND) and served as a co-lead for the Disability Pillar in her workplace. She is currently seeking opportunities to establish similar support and discussion groups in her current environment in Indonesia and is eager to connect with alumni who have experience in the disability and engineering space.

Yeremia has three years of experience in data analytics and Microsoft Power Platform, and now specializes in Power BI. He is currently a junior data analyst at PT Patra Drilling Contractor in Balikpapan. Prior to joining this company, he was interning and freelancing. During his time freelancing, he mentored undergraduate students in data analytics to prepare them with additional skills that may be beneficial for their careers. He also joined a startup competition by bringing BawaTumbler, a startup that focuses on reducing one-time used beverage containers by switching it with subscription-based flask or tumbler. He also helped teachers from local schools transform their teaching materials into an interactive game using Articulate Storyline.

Yeremia is an alumnus of the Global UGRAD program and during his program, studied how cyber security is a critical part of business longevity both as defense and deterrence, helping businesses or organizations map IT strategy to meet their vision and mission. Yeremia obtained his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Kalimantan Institute of Technology.

Honey Yahdillah has one year of experience in training and certification. She is currently a president director at PT Tridaya Batam Mandiri, training and certification service provider in Batam, Indonesia. 

Prior to joining the institution, she was a lecturer’s research assistant in the nutrition department at the Faculty of Public Health, Andalas University for nearly a year. During her time at Andalas University, she contributed writing to some nutrition research journals while working on her individual undergraduate thesis research about new functional food product development from Buffalo’s milk for school-age children. She is also an English tutor for children at an English Training Centre, ELTC Batam. 

Prior to joining the training centre, Honey was a part-time English tutor in FIES Batusangkar, another English training centre in the same province as her campus. Honey helped to receive host visiting teachers from overseas to teach at the institution.

Honey is an alumna of the Global UGRAD program and during her program studied nutrition science at Troy University in Alabama. Honey obtained her bachelor’s degree in nutritional science from Andalas University in Padang, Indonesia.