It was 2015 when I was asked for the first time to speak at the LPDP Pre-Departure Preparation Program. Hundred of the Indonesian young people were set to travel all around the Globe to study master of PhD. They were paving their way to become global scholars. It was an honor for me to speak to them to prepare their journey.
It seems that my 2015 performance was acceptable and here I am now. After almost a decade after my first appearance in the respected stage in front of the Indonesian scholars to be, I, once again, was asked to speak at the same event. It was 9 January 2024 in Jakarta. I spoke in front of hundreds of young and energetic people. It was so much fun.
A little bit different from my usual topic, which is academic writing and how to become scholar, this time, I delivered something around “Scholar Social Responsibility”. It is always good to try something new. I prepared the lecture seriously since there were a lot to add into my existing content. I am glad that I delivered it well. At least I presented the lecture as well as I prepared it.
One special note about the event was that Akram, my former student, was part of the group. Not only as a regular participant, Akram served as the moderator for my session. There is no bigger happiness for a teacher like me than seeing my student sitting next to me in a same stage and then fly higher to reach his/her dream. I am a happy teacher.