2025 – #OTOTSENDI Week 4 – Opportunity and Passion
As the closing of the #OTOTSENDI activity March 2025, VDMI presented three alumni who have now successfully combined opportunity and passion to work in their respective fields. [1] Kesuma Anugerah Yanti (alumna of Lambung Mangkurat University), [2] Bodhiya W Mulya (alumna of Petra Christian University) and [3] Melly Syandi (alumna of Andalas University).
Monday (March 24), Yanti since college, she has been actively participating in various volunteer activities, which later became a strong driving force in shaping her vision in the field of urban development. Currently, Yanti is active as an urban consultant and is the founder of Borneo Urban Lab, an initiative that focuses on the development of urban and rural areas, especially in the Banjarmasin area and its surroundings. Collaboration with various organizations has also expanded the impact of the field work carried out. Three main focuses in her activities, include: Urban Access, Environment and Education. Borneo Urban Lab has successfully launched and managed various impactful projects, such as: Training and skill development programs for friends with disabilities, empowering them with practical abilities and confidence; Environmental initiatives focusing on waste management along riverbanks, supported by dedicated funding; Product development and promotion of Batik Banjarmasin Ecoprints Sasirangan Warna Alam; and English Class Pelambuan Nature Class, providing an engaging, nature-based environment for children to learn English in a more interactive and enjoyable way. Kesuma shared about the opportunities and her personal passion, she enjoys collaborating and engaging in social activities by immersing herself directly within the community. This passion naturally grew over time and eventually led to the creation of Borneo Urban Lab.
Wednesday (26 March) Odhi is working as the Chief Operating Officer at QED Research Consulting and holds the role of Operations and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Director at the Indonesian Lentera Commitment Foundation (KoMit Foundation). KoMIt Foundation was founded by the senior leadership of QED Research Consulting, the goal is to effectively contribute to the emancipation and inclusive economic empowerment of vulnerable, poor, minority, and marginalized communities. Funding for the initiatives comes from corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs of private companies and half profit from QED Consulting. Several ongoing projects 2025-2029 include: [1] Youth Economic Empowerment, [2] Scholarship Program – Surabaya Area and [3] Anti-Sexual Violence Program. From the perspective of opportunity and passion, Odhi expressed his hope to create an open access economy in the future. Through his work with the Foundation, he aims to empower marginalized groups, helping them improve their social class. He stressed the importance of building a strong foundation first — securing essential resources before fully pursuing one’s passion.
Friday (28 March) Melly is a full-time mom while also actively involved in teaching and learning activities with teachers and school principals at Ciheras Mengajar. The Ciheras Mengajar Foundation was not initially formed with the sole intention of coming to Ciheras Village to establish it. However, during the pandemic, the most affected sector was education, with challenges in adapting to new policies, such as teachers being required to provide online class programs and children having to study from home. Implementing these policies in the village was particularly difficult due to the local conditions. From this situation, Mel, along with her friends, contributed by providing limited and rotating teaching activities for the children in Ciheras Village. The goal was to offer the children positive activities during the restriction of movement. As these activities progressed, Mel developed a curiosity about the daily challenges faced by the teachers. She then conducted in-depth observations by visiting the schools to understand the core issues they were facing. After finding the results from her observations in 2021, Mel began to give coaching training to teachers in order to establish the implementation of quality education. The funding for this initiative came solely from the proceeds of merchandise sales, with the intention of fully supporting the development of teachers.
Thank you to all alumni who shared via Instagram Live and were very inspiring. See you for the next #OTOTSENDI activities.
