The Tanoto Foundation’s National Champion Scholarship program for 2018 admission year is reopened. As in previous years, it is estimated that applicants will overwhelm the official Tanoto Foundation Website. It is a fact that, starting in 2017, the Tanoto Foundation scholarship registration is only processed through the official Website at https://www.tanotofoundation.org/.

Tanoto Foundation has become one of the largest scholarship beneficiaries in Indonesia. In partnership with 35 universities, both public and private, to date it has awarded scholarships to more than 2,900 undergraduate (S1) and postgraduate (S2) students.

Every Tanoto Foundation scholarship recipient, otherwise known as Tanoto Scholars, receives supports for tuition fees and pocket money. Aside from that, various trainings for the improvement of soft skill are provided to Tanoto Scholars on a regular basis, including public speaking, blogging, presentation techniques in English, and the capacity to lead and work together in teams.

Tanoto Scholars are also encouraged to carry out social activities as a form of pay-it-forward benefits received from Tanoto Foundation to the community. Through the Tanoto Scholars Association, they design and carry out social activities in their respective areas. All these activities have the support of Tanoto Foundation.

The most anticipated event is the annual Tanoto Scholars Gathering (TSG) event. This activity brings together Tanoto Scholars from all over Indonesia. In TSG, Tanoto Scholars can build a network of friends and learn from one another in their midst. There are also several exciting activities, including talk shows from national figures, soft skill training, industry visits to Royal Golden Eagle Group companies, as well as various games in the outbound session.

To be accepted as Tanoto Scholars, there are three stages applicants must undergo, namely verification of administrative documents, psycho test, and the last is interview test. The results of each stage will be announced officially on the Tanoto Foundation website.

Abraham Madison Manurung, a Tanoto Scholar from Institut Pertanian Bogor (Bogor Agricultural Institute) gives little tips for passing the selection. “First, read the information from the Website thoroughly so that no requirements are missed. Second, do not be bashful to ask other Tanoto Scholars at your campus to get a picture of the selection process. And do not be a deadliner, or register at the last moment, because usually we make a lot of mistakes when we have to hurry to register at the end of the deadline, “said Abraham.

“Before you decide to join and get a scholarship from Tanoto Foundation, you must first understand the values that are the main principles at Tanoto Foundation,” said Agata Ayu Gita, a Tanoto Scholar from University of Indonesia.

Want to be part of Tanoto Scholars big family? Come on, sign up soon.

Agata Ayu Gita may only be 21 years old and studying industrial engineering, but the soon-to-be-graduate already has plans to integrate the knowledge she gains through her degree with her passion – Indonesian arts – after she finishes school.

The Jakarta native, who prefers to be called Gita, is currently in her final year at the University of Indonesia in Depok, located in Indonesia’s West Java province.

“I’m studying industrial engineering, which is a really scientific and management-based course. But I really want to contribute towards showcasing Indonesia and Indonesian culture, more specifically, to the world.

“So in the future, I want to manage and help people start their own businesses which are related to the Indonesian arts which I love,” Gita shares.

Gita is one of many university scholars who are currently pursuing their undergraduate studies as recipients of education scholarships provided by Tanoto Foundation.

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She was also one of the scholars in attendance at the Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2017 event held recently at the Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) Complex in Pangkalan Kerinci, Sumatra.

“I think before you even become a Tanoto Foundation scholar or apply for a scholarship, you should have an understanding of their values.

“(By becoming a Tanoto scholar, you’re) joining a big community which has a vision to fight against poverty and inequality in Indonesia, primarily through education, empowerment and enhancement efforts,” she says.

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Gita says when she first considered applying for scholarships in her second year of university, she carried out a lot of research in determining which ones to apply for.

“I looked at a few of them and was immediately drawn to the one offered by Tanoto Foundation from the start.

“I saw that the organization offers training in batik-making as part of its community development programs (through corporate partner RAPP). I thought it was really great to see that they were facilitating connections between society and culture in such a way, and that batik-making can become a potential industry and means of livelihood.

“I realized that they were doing what I want to do, which is to work with people and promote Indonesian culture at the same time,” she says.

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Batik, in fact, is one of the Indonesian art forms that Gita is especially passionate about, having taken part in the Putri Batik Nusantara (Indonesian Batik Ambassador) Pageant in 2016.

Gita credits Tanoto Foundation for her participation in the competition as she was able to save some of the money she acquired through her scholarship and use it to fund her pageant preparation efforts.

“As it’s a pageant relevant to national batik ambassadorship, I was therefore investing in my dreams (of wanting to promote Indonesian culture as a career) by joining,” she explains.

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Gita won the talent portion of the competition by singing a traditional Javanese song – another one of her favourite forms of Indonesian art.

“So I would say that Tanoto Foundation is not only willing to support Indonesian students in terms of their education, but also towards their future dreams.

“It’s really great. When I was going through the interview (as part of the scholarship application process), I meant everything I said to the interviewers. I told them ‘this is where I want to go, and your support will be really valuable to me’.

“And Tanoto Foundation listened and it’s allowing me to go where I want to go. And for that, I’m really thankful,” she says.

Walking out of the room at the end of her scholarship interview, Stephanie Claudia Chrisdyana Tambunan was sure that it was over for her at that point.

“It was very hard for me – from the moment I walked in and tried to introduce myself at the start of my interview, I was experiencing discomfort due to my tongue,” Stephanie shares.

When Stephanie first applied for a Tanoto Foundation scholarship she was in perfect health, but just before the interview portion she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a medical condition which results in partial facial paralysis.

“There was already so much drama to begin with when I first began applying for the scholarship,” she says.

“It’s not easy to fulfil the minimum requirements. Tanoto Foundation is a great scholarship, which makes the selection process hard – there’s so much competition that I actually struggled to get it,” she says.

Stephanie, 21, is a third-year agriculture student at the University of North Sumatra (Universitas Sumatera Utara) at the moment.

The Medan native shares that she was struck with Bell’s palsy about two weeks before her Tanoto scholarship interview.

As with most Bell ’s palsy cases, the exact cause of her temporary condition was unknown, but it affected Stephanie for a month, causing her face to droop and, more worryingly, affecting her ability to speak properly.

“Before the interview, I was so worried because I couldn’t pronounce some letters perfectly, such as ‘f’, ‘n’ and ‘p’. I feared that I would not be able to give my best during the interview.

“At the interview, my condition had improved a little but I still couldn’t speak properly. I was relying on non-verbal body language with lots of gestures! That’s definitely not a normal way to do an interview,” Stephanie laughs.

However, Stephanie attempted to remain confident and answered the questions as best she could.

“When I finished the interview, I thought I wasn’t going to get it (the scholarship). But Praise the Lord – fortunately I’m one of the luckiest girls because I became a Tanoto scholarship recipient.

“And the only word I can say about that is ‘wow’. It was a pleasant surprise,” she adds.

The Tanoto Scholar says that she first received the scholarship during her fifth semester at university.

“I really wanted this scholarship because besides the financial benefit and being able to help my parents, who will no longer need to pay for my education, it also equips us with soft skills such as public speaking when we get to participate in programs such as the Tanoto Scholars Gathering.

“And I really think that’s so important for us (future graduates) especially when we’ll be trying to get a good job,” Stephanie says.

Touching more on the Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2017, Stephanie expresses gratitude about being selected to participate.

“Tanoto Foundation is a good organisation and I think they’re really serious about developing us as future young leaders.

“It was a great opportunity for us to come and join this gathering, and I really enjoyed it. I got to meet famous people like Rio Haryanto and (member of Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees) Anderson Tanoto. Those were special moments,” she recounts.

“Of course, I’m especially thankful to the scholarship interviewers! I’m so glad they are willing to give chances to people who might be undergoing something, and they understood my situation,” Stephanie says.