Angga Dwi Martha: Study of the U. S. Institute Alumnus 2010

Angga Dwi Martha: Study of the U. S. Institute Alumnus 2010

Angga Dwi Martha is an alumnus of the Study of U.S. Institute (SUSI) for Student Leaders on New Media, which took place at the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois in 2010.  Angga has represented his country in a number of international youth events, including serving as an Indonesian delegate to the International Youth Conference in 2009, as an Indonesian representative for the Youth Engagement Summit in 2009, and as an Indonesian delegate to the ASEAN Logics 2010.  During 2010, he also was selected as one of the Indonesian delegates to the Asia Africa Youth Forum 2010, as an Indonesian Delegate to United Nation Workshop on MDGs, and as an Indonesian delegate to the International Youth Climate Forum.  He was named one of sixty 2011 Young Leaders for Indonesia by McKinsey and Company and was selected as the 2010/2011 Most Outstanding Student in his university.

Tell us about your experience in the SUSI program and what you gained from the experience?

The SUSI experience changed my life!  I feel so lucky to have been selected as Indonesian participant in SUSI on New Media program which took place in Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.  The experience has certainly enriched my knowledge about America.  Before I went on the program, I hardly knew America except from TV shows and movies.  From that kind of medium, I somewhat built a perception of Americans as individualistic and rather arrogant.  However, the SUSI really changed my perspective of the American way of life and culture.  SUSI gave me a good insight of how Americans really are.  I’m so glad to know about that, because nowadays there are many people who judge something without knowing the truth.

In addition to cultural experiences, the SUSI also enriched my knowledge about new media, American history, American politics, democracy, and leadership.  I also met new people, was inspired by them, and visited many places that I had always dreamt about visiting.  I also had the opportunity to meet Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois in the Senate building during my trip to Washington DC.  Finally, I was lucky that my program took place during the summer time, because I spent a lot of time playing baseball and I really enjoyed it.

You have been selected as a Young Leader for Indonesia along with two other alumni.  Please tell us a little bit about your role in the conference and how you were selected.

I was named as a Young Leader for Indonesia in 2011 by McKinsey and Company.  The Young Leaders for Indonesia (YLI) initiative was launched in 2008 for leading university students in Indonesia with the aim of developing future leaders.  These students are asked to apply lessons learned during six-days of workshops to real projects of their own choosing.  These projects may be academic in nature, like a thesis, or extra-curricular or personal in nature.  In addition, we work closely with faculty to ensure that the program reinforces the capabilities most relevant for top-performing students.  Over all, I am thrilled to have been selected for this program and very proud of my achievement.

You also represented Indonesia in the International Youth Conference in 2011.  Please tell us a little bit about the conference. 

I received an honorary award for representing Indonesia in the annual International Youth Conference.  The 2011 International Youth Conference, which took place in Yogyakarta, was hosted by Indonesia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with Gadjah Mada University and the Yogyakarta local government.  The conference was attended by 144 youth from 33 different countries with the theme of “Youth Awareness of Climate Change”.  All of the conference participants committed themselves to tackling climate change issues.  This commitment led participants to draft the Yogyakarta Youth Declaration.  This declaration was affirmed during the conference closing ceremony in front of government and community leaders.

Please share with us your future plans.

As I will be graduating this year, my vision is quite simple: to pursue a Master’s degree and after that return to Indonesia to build Indonesia into a better country.  I will try to apply for a scholarship program like the Fulbright Program, because receiving a scholarship is the most probable way for me to pursue my Master’s degree.  As for my long term vision, I have a dream of becoming a youth activist who starts movements in many sectors in the country.  I believe that youth are strategic partners and relevant actors for development.  They make significant contributions to their families, to their communities, and to society. 

Join your Global Alumni Community at alumni.state.gov. For more information, please contact Alumni Coordinator (Mr. Dudi I. Sukendar) at (62-21) 3435-9536 or email SukendarDI@state.gov.