Outline your future aspirations and how a degree at (Uni) will help you achieve these goals. What positive impact are you looking to have on the world? Please explain this through previous leadership roles, engagement with different communities or activities. This statement should not focus on your academic achievements or the financial benefits of the scholarship. (500-750 words)
Personal Statement
The choices I make are always led by a single motive: to incur structural change. Immersed in the community-first values of humble Southeast Asian cultures, it is an internalised requirement that the work I choose to do is beneficial to the people around me. Now, my goal to "do good" has narrowed down to influencing change at the structural level due to how it disproportionately affects the working and middle-class communities that I was part of.
My strategy to create positive change is two-fold: increase insight, and expand outreach.
This plan was formed throughout the years of contributing to my community. Being a Sustainable Development Goals "Goal Keeper" in middle school was one of my earliest experiences of being a changemaker; I taught English at orphanages in low-income areas, conducted research on several global issues, and presented them to local communities. This taught me tangible strategies for impactful action which I simplified to three types of aid: monetary, societal, and personal. The valuable knowledge I accumulated throughout my time as a Goal Keeper inspired me to establish a social organisation that discusses social affairs and raised funds to fight food insecurity in Depok, Indonesia, for almost two years. My passion for social issues also subsequently fueled my drive in debating while enriching me with further knowledge of the world.
It was through all my research on education, health, politics and history that I began to see the relevancy of technology and namely, computing, in mitigating structural problems. This was further corroborated by a paper by the McKinsey Institute, which pointed out the vastly unexplored potential of computer science and AI to achieve all seventeen goals of the SDGs. Since learning this, I have started to learn AI implementations of code to maximise my studies at university through free online courses such as KAIST's "Practical Python for AI Coding 1" course. I had coded a handful of projects as a hobby prior to discovering the full potential of code, but learning the history and closely following the development of technology in the news made me realise that a degree in computer science wouldn't merely be "doing something I enjoy"; it would be the first step that would enable me to benefit greater society.
Following the completion of my degree at Monash University, I will apply and work for a growing firm in Australia with my computer science degree in order to gain experience and establish international connections. Due to the fact that computing is still largely underutilised in my home country, I aspire to return home after this to contribute to increasing its use to benefit Indonesian citizens. This experience will enable me to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to address the structural challenges in Indonesia which require complex solutions. I want to apply this knowledge for social good and further innovate the current implementations of code; such as improving widespread access to certain healthcare equipment by the use of advanced computer imaging.
These steps of working within established corporations are crucial in not only developing my technical skills, but to advance my problem-solving and communication skills within different cultural environments. I want to make sure that my work considers the intricacies and nuances of the society it will affect, which is gained only through years of being a disciple, even years after graduating from university.
My desire to benefit and protect the collective also manifests in one of my aspirations of developing ethical guidelines in the tech industry. In my later years, I wish to become part of an AI ethics committee in order to solidify people-first principles in implementing technology. Especially as technology becomes an integral part of everyone's lives, it is important that ethics and the social impacts of code become integrated into industry standards to ensure people's safety.
A degree in computer science from a world-class university such as Monash University would prepare me to excel in the workplace through its industry-focused curriculum and strong links to industry, and allow me to be truly seen as a competent applicant in a competitive industry. It would allow me to get past one barrier to the next. I would be the second in my family's history to study abroad and the first to be working in technology. The successful acquisition of a computer science degree and career would not only help me achieve my ambitions, but the ambitions of the generations before and after me.