Alumni

And read their testimonies below:

Chris Andre Sutanto

Class of 03

It’s never easy to describe the experience and the learning that I’d gained throughout the learning process in the English Department of Petra Christian University. In a glance, everything seemed to be rife of fun and new things to explore, but it’s never short of challenges and critical ideas too. Yet, critical ideas supported with a keen perspective to analyze and re-analyze helped me so much in countering many tasks that my present profession puts forward every single day.

Despite English being the foundation bricks of my learning in the university, I would say that the subjects from the 5^th semester to the end (all revolving around the thesis and its preparatory semesters) were worth to recall as my best and most challenging period of study. Both the quality lecturers and the exhaustive library collections did encourage me to stretch myself further to master not only basic literature studies but also various disciplines outside the literary world, especially psychoanalysis—a branch of psychology. This combination of learning did prepare me to qualify better to take up any journalistic works as I now maintain day by day (as Senior Editor of Millionaireasia-Indonesia) and, dare I even say, be a shrewd thinker who can really see the world in alternative perspectives. I have applied many tenets of both philosophical and psychological in my daily lives—those I did pick up from the classes—and seen how I’ve outgrown some of my peers in terms of the maturity of logical thinking.

Practical skills like writing, speaking, listening, etc. had also done their justice by enabling me to exude confidence when I now have to communicate well in English. History classes—though being my least favorite subjects of all—let me gauge my understanding over a developing nation in process (something like Indonesia as of today). All in all, while it may seem hard for me to express my gratitude over the invaluable experiences I’ve gotten during my study in the English Department in details, it is so much harder for me to ever stop sharing how wonderful the whole process had been for me, and hopefully for you too.

Fenny Ferranita
Class of 02

Saya Fenny Ferranita Maharani, alumni Universitas Kristen Petra, Surabaya angkatan 2002, saat ini bekerja di Departemen Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia. Setelah saya lulus S1 jurusan Sastra Inggris tahun 2006, saya mengikuti seleksi Calon Pegawai Negeri Sipil Departemen Luar Negeri (Deplu) untuk posisi Pejabat Diplomatik dan Konsuler (PDK). Beberapa tahapan seleksi yang terdiri dari ujian tulis substansi, ujian TOEFL, ujian psikologi, tes wawancara substansi dan tes kemampuan Informasi dan Teknologi telah saya lalui dalam proses tersebut. Dari 14.000 pelamar, 100 orang diterima untuk menjadi Calon Pegawai Negeri Sipil (CPNS) di Deplu tahun 2007 dengan komposisi 50% pria, dan 50% wanita. Dengan diterimanya saya sebagai CPNS Deplu, pada Februari 2007 saya mengikuti Diklat di Jakarta selama 8 bulan dan dilanjutkan dengan program magang di perwakilan Indonesia di Luar Negeri. Pada program magang tersebut saya ditugaskan di Konsulat Jenderal Republik Indonesia (KJRI) di Melbourne selama 3 bulan. Setelah saya menyelesaikan diklat dan program magang, saya diangkat menjadi Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) pada awal tahun 2008 dan ditugaskan di Direktorat Kerjasama Intra Kawasan Asia-Pasifik dan Afrika. Pada tahun 2009 saya ditugaskan di Direktorat Politik-Keamanan ASEAN, Ditjen Kerjasama ASEAN. Selama bertugas di Deplu, saya berkesempatan untuk mengikuti beberapa pertemuan dan sidang internasional di dalam maupun di luar negeri dalam kerangka ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), NAASP (New Asian African Strategic Partnership), dan SwPD (Southwest Pacific Dialogue) baik di tingkat pejabat tinggi hingga tingkat Kepala Negara. Di tahun 2009, saya menerima beasiswa S2 dari pemerintah Australia melalui program Australian Development Scholarship (ADS). Sesuai dengan bidang tugas saya, dalam program beasiswa tersebut, saya mengambil program Master of International Affairs di Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia. Setelah saya mendapatkan ijin tugas belajar dari Deplu, pada awal tahun 2010 saya berangkat ke Australia untuk melaksanakan studi selama 1,5 tahun. Selesainya saya dalam program tersebut, pertengahan tahun 2011 nanti, saya akan kembali ke tanah air untuk mengabdi pada negeri dan memberikan kontribusi dalam pelaksanaan politik luar negeri Indonesia.

Selama saya menempuh pendidikan di jurusan Sastra Inggris UK Petra saya mendapat bekal yang sangat signifikan secara akademis dan intelektualitas. Jurusan Sastra Inggris UK Petra telah membekali saya dengan sangat baik dalam kemampuan berbahasa Inggris yang aktif baik dalam lisan dan tulisan. Selain itu, kemampuan berpikir kritis, menganalisa, berargumentasi, menyusun argumen yang sistematis dan terstruktur, yang saya peroleh di Sastra Ingrris sangat mendukung saya dalam bidang kerja saya. Para Dosen yang sangat disiplin, cerdas, dan penuh komitmen mendorong saya untuk selalu belajar lebih baik dan disiplin terhadap diri saya. Mengambil konsentrasi di bidang literatur (sastra) juga membekali diri saya untuk membangun hubungan interpersonal yang cukup baik dalam menjadi seorang diplomat. Mempelajari sastra secara keseluruhan sungguh membuka wacana dan kemampuan berinteraksi yang baik dengan teman sekerja dan juga dengan diplomat asing. Selain mengembangkan diri di bidang akademis, selama di UK Petra, saya juga bekerja part-time di Pusat Pendidikan Bahasa (PPB), Pusat Pengabdian Masyarakat (PPM), menjadi volunteer dalam program Community Outreach Program (COP) dan menjadi Asisten Dosen di jurusan Sastra Inggris. Pengalaman belajar dan bekerja di UK Petra tersebut sangat mendukung pengembangan diri saya hingga saya dapat bergabung di Deplu. Kecakapan berbahasa Inggris yang baik ditambah kemampuan analisa dan berpikir yang sistematis serta pola berinteraksi yang luwes adalah mutlak untuk dimiliki oleh seorang Diplomat Indonesia yang selalu terkait dengan proses negosiasi dan diplomasi Indonesia.

Ifan Tirta
Class of '95
Graduated from high school, first of all, Ifan didn't know what major he should take. Then he made up his mind to take English as his major, neglecting his father's suggestion to take economics. As the years went through, Ifan didn't just learn the knowledge, but he could also absorb the essence of his major, learning about humanity. During his study, he learnt how to utter his words to other people, not just learn how to say words in English. Therefore, he could get some part time jobs easily. He was also a member of the students' senate, and a president of a Leo club, an international association of lions clubs which run many social activities in the world. He even got many awards form those activities. The greatest moment came to his life when he was selected to attend Harvard Project for Asia and International Relations in the Chinese University of Hong Kong in June 1999. Being the only student from his department to represent his university with the other three students from other departments, he was trusted to be the head of the delegate. During that conference, his delegate was the only one from Indonesia. It means that his delegate didn't only represent Petra Christian University but also his nation, Indonesia. Entering the last phase of his study, while working on his thesis, he has already been hired by a real estate company, beating some other candidates who have already had adequate experience in that field. Now, everytime he looks back, he feels that he is really blessed, for taking English as his major. In addition to mastering English, Ifan also knows how to interact well in the society, because the point of learning language is (once again) learning about human beings.

Ingrid Nitihardjo
Class of '81
"I have obtained many benefits from my study at the English Department, Petra Christian University. Among those benefits are the opportunities to be able to speak English in a correct way, the ability to face the audience, to know various characters of human beings, to know the world history, to have self-confidence, and to be more sensitive to the surroundings."

Ingrid Nitihardjo is presently the Director of Sales, Majapahit Mandarin Oriental Surabaya, and also one of the lecturers of Petra Business English. Prior to that, she was the Associate Director of Business Development, Sales Manager, and Banquet Sales Executive of Hyatt Regency Surabaya. She also has once worked at Garden Palace Hotel as a Catering Manager, and as an assistant of Banquet Sales. Her latest education was gained from Stamford University Singapore, majoring at Hotel Management, soon after she graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Petra Christian University in 1985. The carrer objective she has is to secure a position possibly in the similar line in marketing in multinational companies. Ingrid feels she has obtained many benefits from her study at the Faculty of Letters. Among those benefits are the opportunities to be able to speak English in a correct way, the ability to face the audience, to know various characters of human beings, to know the world history, to have self confidence, and to be more sensitive with the surroundings.