Gracia Ongkowijoyo
Class of 2012
Where did you go to University? What did you study?
S1 IBM IC Universitas Ciputra, summa cumlaude GPA 3.92
S2 Masters of Science in Management, Strategy, Leadership in Michigan State University, USA, summa cumlaude GPA 4.00
S3 Doktor Ilmu Manajemen (Strategic Management) in Universitas Katolik Widya Manadala Surabaya (on going GPA 4.00)
Can you please share your experience applying to Uni?
S1: Jalur Prestasi but no scholarship (TBH I forgot.. it’s a long time ago hahaha)
S2: I needed 2 years of managerial experience, but since I worked on my business project at UC from the 2nd semester and was active as a tutor, I could get into my masters degree right away. It was also easier to get a letter of recommendations because I had been tutoring.
S3: As I was working as a UC lecturer, applying for S3 went smoothly as well
What kind of work/business are you currently doing?
My profession at the moment is full-time UC lecturer, translation service (on the side), helping the family business, and full-time Ph.D. student (other businesses are on pause, will pursue further after S3)
In what way did the school contribute to your job right now?
I took the IB Diploma, which helped me a lot in critical thinking and the experience helped me to be more persistent in my studies. I would say I’m an independent learner, this helps me a lot in figuring out my way in all kinds of situations.
What advice would you give to a graduating student?
No matter where you go to study/work, it’s not always going to live up to your idealism and expectations. Life is full of ups and downs, you need to be strong, be able to adapt, and stay true to your end goal/dreams. Find people who are wise and experienced, who can guide and help you during tough times.
Life is not what you expect, so be persistent, stronger, independent, and adaptable.
What was the best thing about Sekolah Ciputra? Tell us something memorable from your time at school.
Life-long best friends. I remember having fun every day with my friends and always having things to laugh about. The IB Diploma was hard, but we always had cheerful days.
Would you recommend Sekolah Ciputra to others? If yes, what would you say about it?
Yes definitely! To future student candidates: take the IB Diploma Programme, if you want to develop lifelong learning skills. It might be hard, but it’s the foundation to tackle the future.
I would say those who can be independent learners and want to be well-balanced, can gain the best out of their studies at Sekolah Ciputra.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Watching movies and TV series.
Anything else you would like to share?
Wherever you end up studying, just make the best out of it. Whether it is at an Indonesian university or abroad, make sure you are not wasting your time and money ????
