Mr Handoko, our Bachelor of Business as well as Master of Business Administration alumni, shares with us his passion in being an Educational Coach and his aspiration to become an international public speaker.

What are you up to right now?

I am currently working as an Educational Coach in a Learning Centre, which is founded by the No. 1 Women Motivator in Asia and Indonesia, Miss Merry Riana.

I am also an Alumni and an Associate Member of the Indonesian Professional Speakers Association (IPSA). This Association was founded by four Founders and tutors in IPSA. The first Founder is the No. 1 Communicator in Asia by Asia Book of Records, and the President of IPSA, Dr Ponijan Liaw. The second Founder is Mr Donny Perdana de Keizer, who is the Secretary-General of IPSA. People in Indonesia also called him a Speaker Entrepreneur (Speakerpreneur) No. 1 in Indonesia. In this Association, we partner with Communicasting Academy, which is one of the top academies in Indonesia, where Mr Donny is the CEO. He is also a news anchor and broadcaster in one of the most popular national television programmes in Indonesia called BeritaSatu TV and Editor-in-Chief at Hi Indo TV. The third Founder is Mr Robby Habibi, who is part of the Supervisory Board in IPSA. People in Indonesia also called him No. 1 Fun Motivator in Indonesia.  The last Founder is Ms Olivia Marzuki. She is The Grooming Tutor and an Ethics Specialist in IPSA.

Can you tell us more about your current role and what made you decide to take on this role?

I am an Educational Coach in Miss Merry Riana’s Learning Centre (MRLC). My current role is to coach students from Kids to Adults in MRLC on several program. One of the programmes is called Life and Success. This programme offers students, from kids to adults, the opportunity to change their current behaviours and achieve their dreams by becoming a more successful and better person.

On the other side at IPSA, my tutors and I conduct two certifications for speakers and motivators who wants to become a Certified Public Speaker and Certified Professional Motivator. These certifications is registered in the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights from the Republic of Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights. Speakers or motivators who have graduated from either certification can place a designation behind their name titled CPSÒ (Certified Public Speaker – Registered) or CPMÒ (Certified Professional Motivator – Registered).

I decided to take on this role because of my passion in the world of communication, and my dream to become a good public speaker, motivator, communicator, trainer and even a coach in education. I also want to become a contributor to help achieve my country Indonesia’s vision, which is to help human resources in Indonesia become better and more skillful.

If you could highlight one memorable experience in your working experience so far, what would that be?

In MRLC, it would be to coach different kinds of students. All of them have different kinds of behaviours that I need to cope with. Sometimes, it can be very stressful, but sometimes it is fun and I really enjoy it. On the other hand, at IPSA, it was the first time after I became certified as an Alumni of IPSA. My tutors believed in me to help them conduct this certification, even though I never had any experience in conducting or organising an event.

What are some of the lessons learned or challenges faced in your current role?

Lessons learned in both MRLC and IPSA are about doing things with Integrity and Passion. Whatever you do and wherever you do it, if you do all out with Integrity and Passion. Everything will feel fast, light and easier.

How do you feel studying at the Singapore campus of James Cook University has helped you to face the challenges in your current employment?

I feel studying at the Singapore campus of James Cook University has helped me foster discipline and integrity to face the challenges in my current employment. As we know, one of James Cook University’s Core Values is Integrity. Integrity makes you disciplined in certain ways. It could be in how well you manage your time in life, how strong your priority towards your life experiences are, and many more.

What do you miss the most about your time at JCU?

One thing I miss the most in the JCU is that I was trusted as the President of Indonesian Students in James Cook University in Singapore (IndoJCUS) from the previous committee in 2015. I had a real experience to learn about what it means to have good leadership.

What would be your advice for current students?

Don’t feel afraid to fail. I believe that majority of successful people in the world have failed. Maybe they have failed as many times as we have, but they keep trying and never give up. As long as you don’t “feel” that you have failed, there is still a chance to restart and try all over again until it succeeds and works. And you will succeed. Never lose hope, and believe in yourself.

So what's the next step for you?

I will always keep working hard and never stop learning in my current life, because I have a dream to do what my top motivator and public speaker idols did, to become a top motivator and public speaker, nationally and even internationally.

Lastly, JCU's strategic intent is ‘Creating a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference’. How do you think you have made (or are making) a difference?

I made differences through choices in my life experiences. In the past, I am a person who cannot make good choices for my life. I do not know which choices I need to prioritise. In JCU, I learned many things, in many ways and from many people, especially from my lectures, which taught me to make good choices for my life in the future. I hope that from those experiences, I can make more positive differences for myself and even JCU in the future. I hope I am not only making positive differences for my own life, but also for many other people, for my school like JCU, and of course my country Indonesia.