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| UMM Student, Ardian Syah Ngaba got an award in the US |
Ardian Syah Ngaba who comes from Sorong, West Papua Province, has a lot of experiences and strong leadership spirit during being a student of University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). He achieved some scholarships and has international experiences, such as joining Learning Express (LEx) program collaboration between UMM and Singapore Polytechnic and being the representative of Indonesia for Young Souteast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) in the United States of America. He has a lot of interesting multicultural experiences.
Ngaba lived in Papua as a minority for 18 years. It was hard for him to prove that a minority has equal right in multicultural country like Indonesia. His decision to move to Java after graduated from High School needed some efforts.
This 23-year-old boy said that.” After I moved to Java, I had to struggle with the stigma that Papuans are rude and not too smart. Although I think I am not too smart in class though”. He learned how to understand and build confidence as a minority. That is why Ngaba initiates to make a place to introduce Indonesian cultures through YSEALI programs in the US.
Ngaba who is a student of Civil Engineering of UMM said that.” In my presentation, I explain about a plan project related the awareness of Indonesian people about cultures and ethnic groups in Indonesia. It is more like educating people that Indonesia is rich of cultures, but media does not blow them up”.
During the YSEALI activities, Ngaba learned many things about politics, society, feminism, and pluralism. He said.” When I was in America, I feel that I was intimidated. It is not because I am a minority, but it because I see there are so many people out there care about their countriesm especially ASEAN youths.”. (lus)
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