Alumni Impact: Ahmad Audli Natakusuma (Vito)
Alumni Impact is a social media campaign that recognizes the excellent work being done by FIUTS alumni all around the world. This week, meet Vito!
Ahmad Audli Natakusuma (Vito), 2019 SUSI alumni and Urban and Regional Planning Student at Institut Teknologi Sumatera.
Hi, My name is Vito and I am from Indonesia. I participated in the SUSI on Youth, Education, and Closing the Skills Gap in Summer 2019.
As an urban planning student, I was very interested in urban design in the US. The shape of roads, signage, city zoning, and all things related to the city planning were interesting. I was astonished by the fact that Seattle does not have a slum area around the harbor (or I did not discover one). Then I thought, how amazing it is to have experts from various backgrounds that were working together creating a great city. These important connections I made to my studies inspired my project, which was titled: "Fun Learning: Visit Your Future". My project aimed to introduce rural elementary school students to potential careers and oriented them toward the future through a hands-on learning experience.
I discovered lots of students do not continue their education beyond elementary school because they need to help their parents with field work. They finish school without knowing what they can be, as their mindset is limited to how to feed themselves every day. Students may not know what an accountant or engineer is let alone what they do. So I created a project that can inspire children's imaginations about what they can be in the future, to discover their abilities, and to connect their passions with careers. Therefore I will not have any doubt that my city will be cooler than Seattle in the future if all children in school take education more seriously.
SUSI was a life changing experience for me. SUSI helped me not only discover more about myself but also better understand myself. One skill for me in particular that stood out was communication. During the final conference in DC, I got showered with tons of confidence when I asked questions to 3 representatives from 3 Embassies with no self-doubt. SUSI presented me with difficult challenges and brought my communication skills to another level.
During the preparation of my community action project, I felt that I communicated effectively with my team. For example, I listened to their suggestions, trusted their dedication, and delegated some big jobs to my team rather than overwhelming myself with everything. I fought against my insecurity by seeking support from my fellow SUSI participants, partner organizations, and the US Embassy staff in Jakarta.
The biggest lesson that I learned about was trust. As a perfectionist, I worried every time I delegated an important task to someone. My project taught me that I cannot force someone to meet my expectation because that can harm the team. I reminded myself to never discount my quality, but I realized that it does not mean I have to control what people should do because everyone has their own way to get the job done. So I learned that trusting someone is not about trusting my expectations on to them, but it is about how well I can manage my team to achieve our the common goals by our own leadership style.
Vito proudly completing his SUSI project in his home country of Indonesia.
After an unforgettable five-week journey in the United States, I returned to Indonesia and set a new goal for my future. I resolved to study hard, work harder, come back to US for graduate school, and once I get back to my city, I will get involved in politics and elevate my city to a higher level.
The Study of the U.S. Institutes promote a better understanding of the people, institutions, and culture of the United States among international students, teachers, and scholars. Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) are short-term academic programs for groups of undergraduate leaders, educators, and scholars from around the world. Hosted by academic institutions throughout the United States, these 5- to 6-week Institutes include an intensive academic residency and an integrated educational study tour. Extracurricular cultural and community activities help to broaden the participants’ understanding of U.S. society. See more here.
Guest posts on the FIUTS blog represent the experiences and views of individual writers. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FIUTS or any organizations or institutions affiliated with our programs.
Alumni Impact is published on the FIUTS blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Read past posts by searching for Alumni Impact on our website main page!
Interested in being featured in Alumni Impact? Contact Annie Lewis at annie@fiuts.org.