Tanoto Foundation Inspirative Talkshow on Soft Skills and Scholarship

In this episode of Podcast Bincang Inspiratif Live on Stage, host Rachel Amanda talks with YouTuber and mathematician Jerome Polin Sijabat. He shares his experiences of winning a prestigious Japanese scholarship to study his favorite subject, mathematics, at a top Japanese university. Then he also tells Rachel about his passion and ambition to participate in advancing quality education in this country.

Jerome was born in Surabaya, Indonesia, on May 2, 1998. He won a full grant from Mitsui Bussan Scholarship Indonesia to continue his education in Applied Mathematics at the Waseda University in Japan in 2016. Out of the 16,000 applicants, only two were accepted, including Jerome in 2016. He graduated with a GPA of 4.00.

“All lectures use Japanese completely. I should pass the Japanese proficiency test first. Textbooks are also written in Japanese. In the beginning, I found big difficulties with language,” Jerome explained.

The question is why mathematics?

“I want to learn what I like and in what I am excel. When we are not passionate about what we study then it will be very difficult for us to survive. Why should I choose a subject when I am not good at it and I also do not like it?”

Jerome is a co-founder of the Nihongo Mantappu YouTube Channel, where he shares his knowledge and experience, including in mathematics, both in Indonesia and the Japanese language.

When asked what is the key to his education success, he answers,” I always stick to the principle. You do not need to follow or imitate other people”.

Instead, “You should make other people follow you because of your position. stick to what you believe. Do not just be a follower but make other people become your follower”.

How about social media?

It is an effective vehicle for personal branding. In the past, people had to make CVs or appear on TV for their branding, but now we can have our TV on social media platforms. You can easily create your TV channel.

“People will see your profile there. You may still need LinkedIn, and that is alright.  But you can also use TikTok or Instagram as your tool. Personal branding and rebranding are very essential for your career,” Jerome emphasized.

“But it is useless to have plans and dreams when you do not materialize them. You may do many things, but if you do not have a clear goal, then it becomes useless. Consistency is needed. Again, you must set up your own goal and achieve it.”

Jerome also added that young people should divide their time between what their parents wants them to do. For instance, if they want their child to become a medical doctor, and all they want to do is their passion. We should fulfil the responsibility to our parents and do whatever we want during your free time.

“When you are already stable and independent enough, then you can pursue your dream, like what I am doing now. I try to make my own business so I can have my income.”, he explained.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sql2hhpBywk