Scholarship / KGSP Scholarship SELF INTRODUCTION: How cultural migration 'merantau' has shaped me (Master's) [5]

Hello, EssayForum! I am a 23-year-old female from Indonesia. I want to apply for KGSP Scholarship in Korea this year and one of the essays required for it is about self introduction. Please assist me to perfect my essay even more as English is not my mother tongue. I want to apply via embassy which allows me to choose 3 different universities and I am interested in the same major for each university, which is Visual Communication Design. Thank you!

o Your course of life, your view of life, study background, your hopes & wishes, etc
o Your education and work experience, etc., in relation to the KGSP program
o Your motivations for applying for this program
o Reason for study in Korea

In over 20 years, my family has migrated at least thrice to Java and Sumatra island. Indonesian people, especially from Minangkabau ethnic group, would call this migration as merantau. Migration and merantau might be considered as the same practice but truth is, the latter is more about an ethnic group's cultural thing. The purpose is to leave one's hometown for education, work and broader life experiences in general. When I knew that my passion since childhood was drawing, I made my mind to study in a place that would suit me the most. Thus, my first journey was migrating from Jakarta to Bandung city in 20xx for my future campus.

I managed to break through the tough competition in college entrance and was accepted at XXX Institute, which is one of the best campuses in Indonesia. It is a science and technology campus that produces many nationally acclaimed people, but it is also famous for its Department of Art and Design, which I enrolled in. I had to be away from my parents for the first time in 18 years for college but it was very worth it. I was given the opportunity to meet people from different places and of various ethnic groups, learn the local language and etiquette, and also became more independent. After going through the freshman year in Art and Design, I began my second year in college as a Visual Communication Design major.

In the Visual Communication Design major, I decided to focus on graphic design specifically, because I found typography, photography, and illustration to be the most engaging. I went through an internship at a graphic design studio for a couple of months and participated in several exhibitions. My first office job was working as a graphic designer at XXX Foundation, a place to manage volunteers on teaching IT to high school teachers and hold education seminars. I was responsible in designing magazines and promotional tools for the foundation. Currently, I work at XXX (Indonesian Ministry of National XXX) in Directorate of Industry, Science, Tourism and Creative Economy. My job includes making infographics to convey the government's work program, transforming statistics into public information and many more. After having worked as a freelancer and office worker for almost 3 years in Indonesia, I feel the need to go merantau once again for studying Visual Communication Design with more depth. This time, I am interested in Korea.

My interest in studying in Korea was piqued when I discovered several Korean music videos that had similar pastel visuals with unusual stories and symbolisms. Later I found out all of them were directed by XXX, a small creative production team based in Seoul. It made me realize that there was a visual trend in Korean music industry started by their fresh work. The graphic design for Korean musicians' albums is also very appealing, as it is not your usual CD jewel cases. Each album has a theme that projects the musician's whole concept such as the costumes and stage design. It is clear that music and visual design complement each other, displaying a strong branding to the public. I have the impression that art and design in Korea have developed very much compared to Indonesian creative industry, which makes me want to learn more from the best.

I choose to pursue a Master's degree in Visual Communication Design via the KGSP scholarship because it offers more educational and cultural experiences than other programs I have encountered. As someone who works for the government, cultural exchanges among other KGSP scholars around the world would inspire me to contribute for my own country's development. Furthermore, Korea is known as an advanced country with influential creations and innovations from many different fields. In the past decade, Korea has become one of the emerging countries that rival the Western nations in terms of popular culture alone. Koreans themselves might not believe this but as a foreigner, I can feel the impact, making me at least familiar with a glimpse of their perspectives. I am enthusiastic about studying not just my own course, but also Korean language and life directly in the peninsula.

Scholarship / Study at Women's University choice. Letter of Self Introduction - The Importance of Studying Abroad [3]

Hello. This is my letter of self introduction for KGSP. Your feedback means a lot to me.

making creative innovations for Korea and Indonesia

Some parents do not like sending their children faraway. One of the reasons is they will not be able to watch over their children closely. However, in this modern era, it is encouraged to go as far as possible to experience one's country and world. My family has moved from city to city in over 20 years, migrating at least thrice to Java and Sumatra island. It has to do with Indonesia's tradition for men to migrate outside their land for work, study and more life experiences. Throughout years, women also begin to migrate for a better living.

My father migrated in order to study and work. As my father came from an electronic engineering background, he naturally wanted me to follow his path. In my case, I always knew I wanted a different path. My infatuation with cartoons, comic books and video games eventually formed my passion in drawing since childhood. Manhwa and video games later influenced my drawing style, especially illustrator Kim Donghwa's graphic novel series and Ragnarok Online that successfully took Indonesian gamers' attentions on its early release.

My parents understood and supported my interest as they gave me their blessing to enroll as an Art and Design student at xxx in 2009. It was a tough competition as it was one of the best colleges in Indonesia and fortunately, I was able to study there. Then, I moved out of town alone for the first time to start college but it was very worth it. I had the opportunity to meet people from different places and of various ethnic groups, learn the local language and etiquette, and also became more independent. I continued as a Visual Communication Design major starting in the second year. Many valuable experiences gained, from participating in exhibitions to performing at the quadrennial Art Market event. Through networking, I got an internship at xxx design studio in Jakarta, Indonesia. Four years later, I moved out of Bandung after graduating with great academic results to start working. In 2014, I landed my first official job as a graphic designer at xxx foundation, a non-profit organization for educating teachers.

Currently, I work at Ministry of xxx, in Directorate of Industry, Tourism and Creative Economy as a graphic designer. I have visited several places in Indonesia to meet local government and institution representatives, observing their tourism objects and industry potentials for economic growth. One of many thoughts that I get after working here is Korea as a role model for Indonesia to move forward economically as both countries were in a similar poor situation in early 1970s, yet Korea excelled drastically in industrialization and high technological development. The story of Four Asian Tigers, consisted of four rising Asian states including Korea, greatly inspired me.

Besides Korea's story in becoming a developed country, Korean pop culture and creative industry caught my attention as it is on the rise recently, proving Korea's name to be more known worldwide. Based on 2013 creative industry report by World Intellectual Property Organization, Korea is number one in Asia with 9,89% GDP. Samsung as a household name has made powerful impacts globally in smartphones and more. It is also followed by innovations in Korean social networking site such as Naver LINE and KakaoTalk that are popular inside and outside Korea, with many loyal users residing in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and more. In the past two years, Naver LINE Webtoon has influenced aspiring Indonesian artists to make their own webtoons, including myself who is a comic book enthusiast.

With all the positive aspects that I have observed about Korea, I am determined to study at xxx Women's University in Industrial Design department with Visual Communication Design and Motion Pictures field of study. I choose to study at xxx Women's University, as some of the leading designers are faculty members. Moreover, women's colleges are not common in Indonesia and Korea is notable for its high-qualified and competitive women's colleges. I believe studying at xxx Women's University will be beneficial, as all women are equal and together we will be able to face challenges. I am willing to learn, practice and share my knowledge about Korea once I am granted this KGSP scholarship. After traveling abroad for numerous times, adapting to a foreign country is one of the things I look forward to the most. I have been familiarizing myself with Korean language and culture before officially taking a course for a year upon arriving in Korea. Hopefully, I will be able to build and maintain great connections with Korean and international students, and also make creative innovations for Korea and Indonesia.