Sampoerna University Student’s Journey to Stanford

Born 22 years ago in Tasikmalaya, Tiradah Hasanah, knows she wants to achieve more in life. She was awarded a scholarship  and after having graduated from school, she chose Sampoerna University. Last April, she flew to the U.S. to represent Indonesia in the 21st Annual ASES (Asia-Pacific Student Entrepreneurship Society) Summit. Participants were to form teams and in just seven days, they were expected to solve problems and pitch solutions to a panel of seasoned Silicon Valley experts. One of Tira’s unforgettable experiences was the pitching competition in which her team was presenting a business idea named ‘Stick It’. It is a trading platform for traders to complete staking processes, she explained. “It was an eye-opening experience for me. My teammates were from Australia and India. As the one woman in the team, I learned a lot,” the Sampoerna University student (2015 Intake) recalled. “We didn’t have any spare time to have fun, honestly. Whenever possible, all of us had a lot of discussions and talks,” told the finalist of Unilever Future Leaders League 2018. She was exposed to global technology players and mentored by different people working for tech giants, such as Google, Facebook, etc. This enabled her to garner unprecedented new insights. Entrepreneur Hopeful Tira has her own entrepreneurial ideas, too. She was admitted to the competition after submitting a business idea of an anti-hoax application called Debunk.id, a product she thinks would be of great help for Indonesians amidst the unrelenting storm of false news. The application, which is not released yet, is designed to provide infographics about hoax and facts. To become a full-fledged entrepreneur, Tira realizes the journey would be long and winding so she meticulously prepares herself.  In the spirit of learning from best practices, she works as an intern in large companies and a startup. “This helps me grow my business ideas and at the same time I learn new things, such as finance, human resources, etc.,” said Tira who is known for joining many competitions during her study at Sampoerna University. Growth Seeker Tira is never satisfied with her achievement. In order for one to keep growing, she believes one should take part in events and competitions, join external organizations and build networks. She generously shared her tips to gain international networking and learning opportunities, “First, what I do is joining external organizations and grow networks. And then I take part in any competitions.” Next, she advised that one hone public speaking skills and be brave to find best mentors. To find mentors or organizations to develop networks, she has a tip: find someone inspirational and try to follow his or her paths. “If you are too shy to talk to people that you think inspirational, just send him or her an email. Just be proactive and don’t be afraid to ask.” (*/)