If only he hadn’t rushed to top up his phone credit and been late in responding to the message that came to his mobile phone, the story would have been different.
Putra is the eldest of two siblings from Banda Aceh, born in 2001. He enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Syiah Kuala University in 2020, followed by his younger sibling two years later at the same university in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP).
Putra’s parents both work for the Indonesian National Police and will be retiring in a few years. However, since his younger sibling started university, they have begun to experience financial difficulties. In addition to the high cost of tuition, Putra also has a medical condition that requires them to stock up on expensive medication, which unfortunately is not covered by BPJS Kesehatan.
To help ease his parents’ financial burden, Putra began diligently searching for scholarship information on various social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. In 2021, he applied to various organizations, including the Karya Salemba Empat (KSE) Foundation.
After going through all the selection stages, Putra failed the test everywhere. “I was very sad at that time,” he added. Time went on. One day in mid-2022, Putra received multiple calls from an unknown number on his mobile phone while he was riding his motorbike.
“When I stopped to call back, it turned out I had no credit. I ignored it, but they kept calling. I then topped up my credit because I was worried it might be something important. But when I called, no one answered,” recalled Putra. An hour later, Putra received a message via WhatsApp asking if he was receiving a scholarship from another institution. Putra replied that he was not. He was then asked if he wanted to join as a KSE scholarship recipient. The KSE liaison said that if Putra had not responded to the call on his mobile phone, his scholarship would almost certainly have been transferred to someone else. “Alhamdulillah. This is my blessing. It was truly unexpected. I didn’t pass in the first round, but it turns out I could get in during the fourth round.”
One activity that he admits to really enjoying is Leadership Training. This is because, he says, through these numerous training sessions, he feels that his public speaking skills are improving day by day.
“There has been a change in me for the better. For example, I am now more confident speaking in public, and my knowledge has increased. The leadership skills I have acquired will, God willing, be implemented in the workplace later,” he said. Another story that Putra is equally grateful for is that for the first time, he was able to set foot on the island of Java. Putra was selected for the Technology for Indonesia (TF) programme in early 2023, which was held in Serang, Banten. “Since I was a child, I dreamed of one day going to the island of Java. Alhamdulillah, that dream came true, thanks to the full support from KSE. There, I was amazed by the innovative ideas of my peers. Once again, thank you KSE for every opportunity,” Putra concluded.