Episode Notes | Transcript | AskTheGuest
Episode Title: College and Beyond: Putri Aimee Srijaya 12th Grade, Indonesia.
Episode summary introduction: In this Podcast, Putri talks about her love for writing, her broad range of interests in high school, her cooperative friends and how sees her future and college plans.
In particular, we discuss the following with her:
Topics discussed in this episode:
Our Guest: Putri Srijaya is a 12th Grade student in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Memorable Quote: “I guess, with this two to three group of friends that I have, we share everything. We share, we share all of our sort of challenges or successes. And I think it's very important to have a group of friends who are able to sort of support you and encourage you in this process.” Putri on peer collaboration.
Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.
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Transcript of the episode’s audio.
<Start Snippet> Putri 0:14
Since I was little, my mom would always kind of guide me through this process of writing. And we would always write together on paper on these random topics about mother and sister and mother and daughter and such. So it's been in my life for the longest time.
That is Putri Aimee Srijaya, a 12th Grader from Indonesia.
Hello, I am your host, Venkat Raman.
With this Episode, we are continuing a select set of conversations with 12th Graders, all girls, & their parents, from India and Indonesia, about how they see their future and their college plans.
Today we will meet Putri Aimee Srijaya, 12th Grader from Jakarta Indonesia.
In this Podcast, Putri talks about her love for writing, her broad range of interests in high school, her supportive friends, and how sees her future and college plans.
I also had the pleasure of talking to Putri’s mom, Aimee - about how she has been guiding Putri, and her aims and aspirations for Putri’s future.
So, without further delay, here’s Putri Aimee Srijaya!
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Venkat Raman 1:44
So maybe you put her the best place to start is, maybe Introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you're about.
Sure, okay. Thank you so much for introducing us. My name is Putri. I'm a senior at Jakarta Intercultural school. So I'll be applying to college very, very soon. But College has been on my mind and my mother's line for the longest time ever. Probably since the eighth grade, we've been planning this journey of mine. So I'm very excited to see the results we will reap from this five year long journey of ours.
Venkat Raman 2:23
Wow. That's, that's a long journey. And it's just getting started. So very well. So maybe tell us a little bit about the kinds of interests you have, kind of things that you're doing school, I guess. Paint us a picture of what you're like in school.
Putri 2:43
Course. So I think my main interest is probably writing and journalism. So at school, I founded the student magazine in my school, and I was the editor in chief for two years. Now that I've moved to adjust Jakarta intercultural school, I'm the editor in chief of our student magazine called feedback. And outside of that, I also published a collection of short stories titled My Canvas of Words. So that was something that I published last year in October. And so that's been one of my greatest achievements up to this point, and I couldn't have done it without my mother as well, who really nudged me towards that direction.
Putri 3:30
And outside of sort of extracurriculars, I also co founded a nonprofit organization called Kasih Donasi, which translates to English as Giving donations. And so through this nonprofit organization, we provide a website for our for foundation, such as orphanages, old folks, homes, and others to post their needs and the resources. So there's easy access to donors so that they can see what these foundations need at a certain time. And I'm also quite involved in public speaking as well. So I have been doing Model United Nations for around a bit over two years. And I, I also spoke at my school's TEDx conference. I've done a bit of debate as well. So I guess that's about a general picture of who I am as a student. There are other details, but I think that's pretty much an overview.
Venkat Raman 4:34
That's pretty impressive and long list. And I'm assuming you get some time to sleep as well. So
What, what kind of, is your passion or interest? What do you think of all these things, really makes you happy, really feel like you are at your best?
Putri 5:00
Well, I would say that I've always loved writing. So I think I think even though it's very obvious that I'm kind of inclined towards journalism is not just something that I feel I should do for my college applications at all. I've always just had an interest for writing before putting my thoughts on paper for just using the pen as my sward, I would say so, I've. So since ever since I was little, my mom would always kind of guide me through this process of writing. And we would always write together on paper on these random topics about mother and sister and mother and daughter and such. So it's been in my life for the longest time. And if I had to choose one thing that I am confident I can do, it's probably writing.
Venkat Raman 5:57
How are you looking at your future? I mean, what what do you see in front of you? What's important to you? What, what, What is it that you want to do over the next, say, five years? Or what do you want to do? Or where do you want to end up?
So right now, if I'm thinking short term plans, I hope to end up at a well prestigious university, where I can kind of, I can kind of sort of expand my horizons even more. And, well, if we're looking five years down the line, that's very long term, but I would really hope to kind of try get a job at public relations or market day, somewhere in that field, or I'm also kind of looking at sort of the field of and a world of strategy. So strategy has always been an interest of mine ever since I found out that sort of my interests can intertwine in that field. But again, it's all open to alteration. It's just the first year in my college journey, and I'm not even in college yet. So I guess right now, what's important to me is that I make my parents proud. And I get into a good university where they can also enjoy and sort of enjoy my achievements and kind of have seek the benefits of sort of supporting me through this journey of mine.
Venkat Raman 7:27
I mean, how do you feel about your future?
Putri 7:31
I feel scared and nervous. But at the same time, I'm very excited. So I would say that I'm kind of not too ready to finish my high school career. I've enjoyed High School a bunch. And I, of course, in my plans to either go to study in the US or the UK, I am definitely very, very anxious about leaving my hometown, and my home country for a very long time. And, of course, I've never lived outside of my country or outside of my city. So it'll definitely be a drastic change. And I expect some culture shock. But aside from that, doors, anxieties, and those kind of nervous thoughts, I'm very, very accelerated To get started, especially after this year where I've been holed up in my house, I, I'm kind of getting a bit of formal from my friends in LA and such. So I'm very excited to see what the world has for me. But at the same time, I'm also ready to kind of overcome any obstacles that I might encounter. And I believe that through my high school career, and through these years in Jakarta, I've really, sort of mustered up the courage to kind of set myself free in this world. And again, it's all open to a lot of changes, I'm sure, but I'm, I feel like I'm ready now.
Venkat Raman 9:03
You mentioned college study abroad. So let's talk a little bit about that. Why do you want to study abroad? Why do you think that's the route you want to take?
Right, so I think there I, our family hasn't really given much thought at all to studying in Indonesia. I mean, Indonesia's education system is just, it's, it's very lacking in sort of the experience and kind of qualifications that I can find abroad. This is kind of a shame since in Indonesia, we have such budding talents. But sadly, I, I feel that in order for me to truly gain an education, where in this modern world, especially I can succeed, then it's only possible if I go to a university abroad, so it's always been a thought for my family, and My mother and father went to university in the US. They're siblings as well. So it's always been sort of this route that has been destined for me. So yeah, it's never been kind of a consideration at all, actually, for me to study in Indonesia.
Venkat Raman 10:24
What are the things that you want in a college that you go to?
Okay, so I initially thought that I was a big city girl, I thought that I had loved sort of living in New York City and LA and all these big cities, Chicago, but then now that I think of it, and just and this is just a sudden realization that I chanced upon during my deep college search this summer, I realized that I wanted to experience that's more, that's more college remote, a more remote college. So I would really enjoy kind of a campus that is not too into the city, and that has a life of its own. And I'm kind of looking for a college that I can really call my home. And I'm and so just that I'm, of course, looking for a great campus campus that is kind of the kind of has a home in itself or a city in itself, maybe. And so that's one of my top criteria. So I'm not really applying to big cities, colleges and big cities. And also, safety is another big concern for my family. And I since, of course, there has been a recent rise in Asian hate crimes in the US as well. So as much as possible, I think, by kind of trying our best not to send me to sort of these big city campuses, this can be avoided, if not just kind of prevented at the least. So those are my top two priorities. But aside from that, of course, I'm looking for a college that kind of has a substantial community of kind of like minded people. So I'm looking at colleges that have a program that I'm interested in, of course, and professors who have been in that field for a long time. I'm sure it's a lot of research that I have to do, and I have done, but at the end, it's worth it and kind of deciding which colleges would best fit me.
Venkat Raman 12:39
You mentioned early on a couple of times that, you know, you have some interests in, you know, obviously a lot of interest in writing and journalism. But, but I think you were ready to explore, and you are open to new things coming your way. Any idea what those kinds of things you want to explore?
Okay, so, yeah, sure, sure. So, I mean, just my general major, actually, I think, is something that I could definitely explore further and university. So my intended major is probably somewhere along the lines of communication, Media Studies. And of course, and normal high school, we don't really have those subject matters, we don't really learn communication 101 or something like that. So that's maybe a kind of obvious answer to that question is I just want to explore my intended major, more. But aside from that, I think during high school, I've also kind of restricted myself to kind of excel in these activities that I know that I can be good in. But maybe perhaps once I go to college, I can try out sort of the orchestra because I, I really love playing the violin, and I've played the violin for a long time as well. But especially during a pandemic, I have not been able to kind of perform as much as I want to. So that's definitely an interest that I want to pursue in college and further. And aside from that, I think, I want to really explore certain fields in of study, for example, I've been interested in data science lately. So I hope, I hope maybe I can kind of supplement my study of communication with data science, and of course, that can help me in research, which I'm very excited to do in college as well. I, I'm excited to do research with my professors, if that permits, and well, I think there's a list that goes on and on. So I just kind of excited to explore but yeah, that's about it.
Venkat Raman 14:53
That's, that's great. And you know, you you will have all those opportunities. So Fantastic, open mind is all you need.
Venkat Raman 15:05
Now, what kind of help are you getting to, you know, go through this college process.
So the how I'm getting through my college experience largely calls for my mother, as my mother herself is actually a private college counselor. So I'm just very lucky, as my dad likes to say to have her as my 24 seven consult consultation advisor. So whenever I have any problems throughout my college experience, I largely just turned to my mother who always has the answers somehow. And I'm very grateful for her help. But it's really helped me a lot throughout these years. And on top of that, well, my school has an excellent counseling system. So I get a lot of help from my counselor at school as well. So yeah, and also I would say, my school teachers, actually my English teacher, my journalism teacher, my advisors and my clubs, they've been a lot of help. Aside from sort of authority figures, I guess, aside from teachers, aside from counselors, my friends have helped me a lot as well, since they're going through the same process. So if, I guess if I can kind of, say a word out there, if you are kind of confused on who to turn to, and this process, just maybe have your friends give you some advice, because they're going through the same thing as well. And I imagine that they have some advice for you as well.
Venkat Raman 16:41
I was going to ask you, actually, just on that point, how much do you share with your friends and peers? You guys, you know, discuss all this in detail. It looks sounds like you do based on what you just said.
Yeah, so maybe what I said, kind of hints that, I do that. And that's definitely true. I have a sort of a group of friends, a group of two or three friends who I share everything to share everything with. But I wouldn't say that it kind of is a general thing that you do with your acquaintances, or your friends who you're not too close to, I guess, with this two to three group of friends that I have, we share everything we share, we share all of our sort of challenges or successes. And I think it's very important to have a group of friends who is who are able to, to sort of support you and encourage you in this process. But I wouldn't, but some, this doesn't kind of relate to my friends who I'm not too close to. I don't, I'm quite I'm kind of a, I would say, private to these details and kind of privy to these details, in terms of other people. But yeah, I just have this kind of small group of friends, my support group who I tell everything to so that's been very helpful.
Venkat Raman 18:10
Yeah, that sounds very healthy, too. So that's great.
Venkat Raman 18:17
You're going through this process, you're thinking about your future. Do you feel prepared? Do you feel like you're well equipped to handle all that?
Well, I would say that I'm kind of optimistic right now. And thinking that I am prepared. And I have kind of gone through the trials and tribulations of high school that I hope, I hope has prepared me enough for this journey. Because a lot of the times I hear from friends who are already in university and my parents have had gone through the process, they say, once you've been through high school, it's kind of like a four year vacation sometimes. So I'm looking forward to that. But of course, I know that with moving to a new country moving to a new city. Moving to kind of a country where I've never lived in where I've only gone for vacation maybe a few times. It's definitely an experience that I will have to adapt to. And, of course, I will learn how to be independent, I'll learn how to be without my parents. And of course, I will miss my family so so so much, I'll probably cry for the first few days or weeks. But I feel that in that sense, it kind of has to be done. I have to kind of grow up I have to get away from the wings of my parents the wings of Jakarta doing so of Indonesia. So I feel prepared and I really to see where this journey will take me further.
Now, let's take a few minutes and check in with Putri's mom and get her thoughts on all this.
Venkat Raman 20:14
I was having a good chat with Putri about what she's planning to do and her aims and aspirations so to speak. So it looks like you are the driving force behind it. And you've been at it from pretty early on. So I just thought would be great to have a chat with you on how you see things for her and what what kind of, you know, dreams and challenges you think she has as she goes into the future. Okay.
Aimee 20:44
Okay, thank you, Venkat, for this opportunity, and thank you for having Putri and I on your podcast. And I think from your conversation with Putri, she mentioned me quite a quite a number of times. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I've always been, I've always been close as, as her mother and daughter. And so like, like she said, I've always been interested in writing, I'm a writer, and I did my master's degree from Cornell, and for my PhD at NYU, in Communication, so I wanted to instill a sense of love of writing and, and, and reading in my children from a very young age. So what I do with my kids is that I encourage them to read from a young age, and I encourage them to, to write also from a young age. So of course, when you're only five years old, there's only a limited number of things you can write about, right. So she, she wrote about her vacation, she wrote about her toys, you know, whatever, you know, we let their imaginations run wild. So I do that also with my younger daughter. But with Putri, I find that she's really good in writing, she was really good in writing. And I nurtured it, you know, I nurtured it throughout her childhood and her teenage hood. And then when grade eight came around, I realized that, you know, the application process in the US is very complicated. So and I know as a as an independent college counselor myself that you need to build a very strong portfolio, from grades nine to 12, so that you can put your best foot forward in terms of like, applying to the universities, she also expanded her writing interest into writing short stories, that I encouraged her to compile into a book of short stories, and looking into the talents of each child, especially poetry, you know, she, she's very good in writing, she's good at debating. She's good at communicating. So I told her, you know, when we were exploring options on college majors, I think colleges like to see a cohesive story, you know, of course, he is a story and they want to see the best fit between you and, and the university itself. So why don't you explore the communication major, and she said, Yeah, I think I can do that. And I think, but I also like business, I said, you know, no, no, no problem. You know, you can be an entrepreneur with a communication mindset. And you can do business as a minor in university. So that's the path that we are taking.
Venkat Raman 23:36
Now, what do you think are the challenges? What are you concerned about? What are what are things that worry you?
Aimee 23:41
Okay? Putri is a girl, right? She's a girl. And she's just, she's a small build, you know, physically. And she'll be the first child that are sending so far away to the US. Because we have a lot of concerns about her safety, you know, how she's going to live the, what his dorm life going to be, we're, we're quite a conservative family, conservative Asian family. And so, you know, sending a child to the US, which is very Western. I mean, I graduated from schools in the US, but my time was like, like two decades ago. So it's totally different now. And of course, my concern is safety. That's number one. That's number one. And it didn't help that. Like, I think earlier this year, there was the Asian hate crime and, you know, that wave going on in the States. So there was there was actually in the back of our minds, you know, how safe is the environment going to be my child? How is she going to go to school with without feeling that she has to be in in danger all the time. So that's actually my number one challenge and concern, because poetry is is is doing very well academically, as she's doing well, in her extracurriculars. I just wanted to be in a safe environment where she can, you know, study and socialize without thinking so much about her safety. That's my, that's my biggest challenge and concern.
Venkat Raman 25:25
Now, Putri you mentioned that she wants to explore other areas of study. Other topics. Are you okay with all that? I mean, you know, she might drift far away from Communication, maybe she becomes a, you know, a biochemist or a molecular biologist. Is that okay?
Aimee 25:45
Well, you know, as I said earlier on, and she's the one going on this journey, this path, you know, so we, as parents have to support her. And, I mean, we see her her talents from a young age. And as she grows up, what she likes to do what she is good at, so we try to nurture that direction. But I've been through the US college education process, right. So I know that the college education process in the US is very flexible. So it's, it's her way of exploring herself. Right now. She she's in the communication and business. But you know, if she wants to be a biochemist, then by all means, she can, she can do that. And we just have to support her.
Venkat Raman 26:35
Okay, so Aimee, before we wind down here, what advice would you give her as you send her off into a future?
Aimee 26:45
I would think that Putri is a is a very independent child. She's very wise, you know, and my husband and I have, you know, have told her, you know, what you what you need to look out for when you go off for college, right? And so I tell her to be reminded of her roots, you know, of her cultural heritage, don't lose that. When when you go off on this new, exciting journey, you know, don't forget about your family. Don't forget about your your cultural roots, you know, you're you're free to explore. But you need to be cognizant of those aspects. Yeah.
Venkat Raman 27:33
Anything else you want to add to what your mom just said? Before, we wind down,
Putri 27:38
She put it together very well. And I'm just very grateful to have parents who are very supportive. Who don't push me to become a doctor or push me to be a mathematician. So I'm very excited to have the support system and very grateful. So thank you so much for having us as well.
Venkat Raman 28:00
Yeah, thank you. Thanks to the two of you, and wish you all the luck. And Putri, Let's keep in touch. Let us know where you finally end up. And I'm sure you will do very well. Thank you.
Aimee 28:14
Thank you so much.
Venkat Raman 28:15
Yeah. Bye. Bye. Thank you. Bye bye.
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Venkat 28:24
Hi again!
Hope you enjoyed our podcast with Putri and her mother.
Putri’s love for writing and communicating comes through, loud and clear in this podcast.
With her mom’s support and guidance, Putri seems well prepared to take on the future.
Putri’s varied interests, and her willingness to explore in college to find her calling, will stand her in good stead.
I wish her all the luck in her endeavors.
I hope this podcast gave you a good sketch of a driven, and highly engaged 12th Grader in Indonesia.
For your questions or comments on this podcast, please email podcast at almamatters.io [podcast@almamatters.io].
Thank you all so much for listening to our podcast today.
I want to thank Jorge Calderon, Asst Director of Int’l Admissions at Iowa State University for suggesting this podcast idea.
Transcripts for this podcast and previous podcasts are on almamatters.io forward slash podcasts [almamatters.io/podcasts].
To stay connected with us, Subscribe to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify or visit anchor.fm forward slash almamatters [anchor.fm/almamatters] to check us out.
Till we meet again, take care and be safe.
Thank you!
Summary Keywords
Journalism, Communication, Writing, Indonesia, high schooler, College Podcast, US Colleges, College Admissions, undergraduate, UK Universities, 12th Grade, Grade 12.