Scholarship /
Self Introduction Essay - Agent of Change on Urban and Regional Planning [2]
Hello! My name is Isyana and I just joined this forum. I applying a scholarship program and one of its requirement is make a self introduction essay. well, this is my first time and since English is not my native language, I'm not so confident in my English. I'm not sure about the grammar, structure, the right vocabulary, etc. So, I really need some comments and/or feedback to make it better. Thank you so much in advance for your help :)I grew up in democratic family which still upholds the value of manners and etiquettes. My late father always encouraged me to be an active, honest, responsible person and to never stop learning. I remember he always said that formal education is very important, so you need to discover knowledge as much as possible. However, learning can be done not merely at school, but learning could be obtained from your environtment. Therefore, my parents tried to equip me with what they called 'OBAT' (medicine) which stands for Olahraga (Sports), Budaya (Culture), Agama (Religion), and Teknologi (Technology). I actively participated in various extracurricular activities and courses, like scouts, youth red cross, choir, Bendera Pusaka Flag Hoisting Troop (or called Paskibraka), student organization, swimming club, taekwondo, language courses, and so on. Those gave me many opportunities to explore new places, meet new people, improve my interpersonal skill, and made me an independent person.
In 2006, I was accepted at one of the best campuses in Indonesia, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, majoring in Urban and Regional Planning. It was the first time I lived away from my parents. Since then, I have become more often exploring new place, either because of school projects or just traveled with friends. The more I explored a new place, the more I got to know about my country, Indonesia. I got my first job in a consultant basis where I went for internship as a freelancer assistant planner. I undertook some spatial/city planning documents, and some infrastructure and management projects. Later in 2012, I was accepted as a staff at Ministry of Housing which now becomes Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Directorate of Housing Finance. Since I work in this ministry, my awareness about infrastructure provision as a public service has increased.
Passion of acquiring higher education through studying overseas had started since I was a child and keeps grew up influenced by people around me. Due to my former education and my job, I found myself profoundly interested in Urban and Regional Planning. Unfortunately, its vastness narrowed my knowledge in each aspect of planning and development. I felt the need to deepen my comprehension through higher education in tourism development. I realized that Korea is the best choice to pursue my Master's degree. Korea has some similarities with Indonesia which have same independence year and have wide range of potential tourist attractions, yet Korea has advanced into developed country now. Korea's rapid growth in almost all aspects, including education that stands on the top ranking as a country with the best education system and tourism industry that well managed and developed, thus contribute greatly to GDP. While Indonesia have a lot of problems regarding its tourism industry despite its potential tourism attraction and rich cultures. Infrastructure construction and development is still not evenly distributed. Many people in the world only know Bali as tourism destination whereas there is more to Indonesia than just Bali.
Moreover, Korea provides comfortable environments with integrated access in public service that would be beneficial for newcomer international students. With its big cities, rural towns and villages, modern and historical architecture and diversity of culture, Korea is a worthy destination to explore. Besides, I have a particular interest in Korea, both its culture, language, and the way governments developed its cities and maintained its cultural heritages around global modern development. Thus, I choose Korea as the best choice to pursue higher education to specialize in my field area in desired aspect in Urban and Regional Planning, especially in tourism development. I believe they will broaden my knowledge and sharpen my ability to make a decision as someone who works for the government.
Pursuing my Master's degree in tourism development through KGSP will offer me more educational and cultural experience. KGSP requires its awardees to have a certain degree of Korean proficiency by studying Korean language before starting the study program. It would be very beneficial for my daily life and future career opportunities for sure, especially in tourism industry and government organization. Therefore, I apply KGSP in order to enlarge opportunities in pursuing my dream and career plan, so that I can implement my knowledge and experience to my hometown and my beloved country, Indonesia. I always do my best to share what I have and contribute them all to my country. I believe I could be one of the top agents of change and policy makers in urban and regional development in my country after completing my study.