Hi, my name is Vivana, I lived in Dorkas Shelter since I was in the fourth grade of Elementary School until now. I started studying at university in 2016, majoring in Accounting. My hobbies are reading novels and listening to music. I think my talent is that when people are around me, I can make them laugh. When I got the Heliconia Scholarship, I felt nervous and awkward, when Mili and Naomi came to my shelter and chose me. I was very doubtful and unsure. At that time, I was considering starting working, so I could make money and take care of my father. He had lung cancer. But Mili and Naomi gave me two weeks to give confirmation, then finally I answered yes. When I graduate from university, I want to work. I want to make my family proud of me, and those people will not isolate my family anymore. I feel grateful to get the Heliconia Scholarship. After graduating, I want to be a teacher, because teachers can help children to become intelligent, achieve, and able to build the nation. I want to make Indonesia better. I hope the foundation can continue to help other children like me. I am here because of Heliconia.
Last Message from Vana, 2020
When I started the 8th semester, I took 2 courses, there are the 2nd Internship and Thesis. My team and I did the internship at 61 Senior high School. We did a project by interviewing two students and observing them with measuring tools that we have made based on the research we were doing which has been validated. The situation when we did the internship was very different and it was very difficult for us to do the project because of the limited time to enter the classroom. Each of us took different classes, collecting data, and selecting students to be observed, we needed to finish it quickly using google form in three days, then new challenges come. When we were ready to conduct the observations and interviews, the school was closed for two weeks due to the Covid-19 outbreak. So we had to wait until we could back to school, but the quarantine days continued to be extended until the school held online classes. Because we were only interned teachers, we didn’t need to teach online classes. After discussing with the mentor teacher and our supervisor, we only took one student, and couldn’t do the observation for our project. The procedures for conducting the interviews were carried out according to the health protocol and the agreement with the student concerned. Interviews were conducted when the Guidance and Counseling class was in progress. When conducting the interviews on video calls, the students were passive in answering some questions and the inadequate internet network made it difficult for us to hear their voices, as an alternative, we asked them to record their voices and sent it to my email, so we could hear their voices more clearly and made a good interview script.
During this pandemic, the campus was closed for two weeks. When we did video calls through the platform, it was difficult for us to provide face-to-face guidance. This situation often made us feel like giving up and almost hopeless because everything that has planned was not suitable and some of the data obtained were inaccurate.
After that project finished, there was a discussion about the thesis writing because the data taken during the internship would be used for the thesis writing according to the problems taken to determine the thesis title. In pursuing ideals and being the hope of the family, there were many things that I needed to face, ranging from energy to time. My Aunt was infected with Covid-19, and she lives near my house. My mother, my sister, and I also took part in self-quarantine for two weeks, almost all of the neighbors were afraid to meet us. In the first week of quarantine, we were out and did sunbathe to kill the virus. Once there were residents who asked, “why are you outside the house, aren’t you in self-quarantine?” We sunbathed on our terraces, not on other’s terraces, that’s why many people who passed by saw us. My mother replied, “We are doing this so you don’t die quickly, let the virus die”. Some people sent us groceries and put them on our terrace. We were quarantined for 19 days, 14 days of quarantine, and 5 days waited for my aunt’s SWAB test result out and the result was negative.
During the quarantine, my family and I only left the house to sit on the terrace and sunbathe. We also did activities in the house such as cooking, sweeping, mopping, and washing the clothes. Doing activities at home without an internet network because we couldn’t leave the house. After the quarantine period was over, we started doing activities, as usual, Mom started to receive home service with health protocol for facial treatment (mom has a small salon), my younger sister started working as usual, and I started doing the thesis.
During almost four years of studying at the University, I have learned many things, from learning methods that required me to be more active in asking questions, doing many projects so I could understand the courses, implementing the theory, and attending various seminars in education, attending campus organizations or other organizations, attending weekly and monthly services which held by the university.
I feel very grateful to receive the education scholarships from Heliconia to study at university. I still remember clearly in my mind when Heliconia came to the Dorkas shelter and chose me to get my education up to the university level, and now I just finished my study. I hope someday I can help Heliconia as Heliconia did to me materially, time, and effort. After graduating from undergraduate education, I hope I can continue my education to be Counselor Professional at Padang State University in the next two years. Now I am invited to teach at the Laboratory for Children with Special Needs belonging to the campus where I did my first teaching practice.
Thank you Heliconia, I love you. I’m proud to be a part of the Heliconia Scholarship Foundation.
Sincerely, Vana.
Message from Vana, 2020
After I finished the internship program as a teacher for high school at SMAN 61 Jakarta, my friends and I returned to campus and continued the “Internship 1” (Group Dynamics) course to complete the internship report. We went to campus every Tuesday and Thursday.
After the internship report was completed, I started doing my thesis. I started my thesis by making a proposal thesis which will be presented in the seminar. I use a quantitative correlation methodology for my research. I have two variables that will be analyzed, they are the correlation between ‘self-confidence’ and ‘make-up’ for high school students. I’m interested in analyzing it because when I did an internship at SMAN 61 Jakarta, there were many students who used makeup excessively at school. The school’s rule might not allow students to use makeup, but most of them used an eyebrow pencil and lip tint.
When doing this research, I’m interested in the choices of the research method that I can use which were recommended by the Lecturer, those methods are experiment and quantitative correlation. I can use both methods for my research. I do quantitative research because I’m interested in numbers and calculation. By doing quantitative research, I can calculate the percentage reliably and also can show the results of this research to some parents of the students at SMAN 61 Jakarta. My thesis title is ‘The effect of using make-up for students’ self-confidence (11th graders IPS 1 class) at SMAN 61 Jakarta’.
Sincerely, Vana
Message from Vana, 2019
In November 2018, my faculty held a Sports program with various competitions for all students. This year, I only became a supporter to support my friends who joined the competition. It was great! My study program won 3rd place in Mixed Volley Race.
My friend and I welcomed the new students of 2018, we held a worship service to build a good relationship between seniors and juniors in my study program. My university also held a celebration which was attended by students and alumni, and our special guest the President of Indonesia, Ir. Joko Widodo. I was incredibly happy and proud because I met the president.
I taught at Golden Kids UKI (a laboratory to teach children with special needs) every Tuesday for 2 months. We held an event called Bible Camps from April 15th – 16th 2019 to make memories and to build solidarity. I also had an internship as a Guidance and Counseling Teacher at SMAN 61 Jakarta from July 15th until October 23rd, 2019. The teachers at SMAN 61 JAKARTA were very friendly and they shared knowledge about education development and shared stories about the stages that must be passed to become civil servants and professional teachers.
After 3 months of internship, my friends and I who had the internship at SMAN 61 JAKARTA held a farewell with the teachers and gave them gifts of remembrance as a sign of their gratitude that guiding us all during teaching practices. The farewell event was attended by the teachers and also the supervisor.
Sincerely, Vana
Message from Vana, 2018
In the middle test for the Education Of Special Needs Children course, my classmates and I needed to observe an orphanage and made a report. In the Mental Health course, my classmates and I went to a school to interview and gave education about mental health to some junior and high school students.
My shelter is a part of Yayasan Sosial Karya Kasih (YSKK). We celebrated YSKK’s birthday by being part of the bazaar at the Church hall to sell snacks. All the foods were sold out. The profit from the sale was donated to our shelter to celebrate Easter.
In April, my shelter friends and I celebrated Easter at Wilibat Cibubur park. We were very happy because there was an American who had visited us 4 years ago, and this year he visited us again, he is like a father to all of us. The Easter celebration was so fun.
May 6th is my birthday, I’m now 21 years old. I celebrated my birthday with some of my close friends (Jefri, Novel, and Frans). My friends surprised me with a box of banana nuggets and small candles.
This year I had a Mental Health course, and my friends and I were divided into groups. We discussed the meanings and the history of mental health. After discussing, we made a paper and video. We had to present the video in a seminar to educate people about good mental health, how to deal with the pressures of life, and learn to keep our mental health well. This is the link to my video: https://youtu.be/N1gzSF676jk
Thank you for supporting me! Vana
Message from Vana, 2017
Toward the end of the year 2016, I had many things to prepare like a Christmas celebration at Dorkas shelter (the shelter I live), a Christmas celebration at the campus, and final exam preparation. I was nervous because I had to practice and study hard.
Thank you for your letter of December 19th, I was very happy to receive that. I was grateful for celebrating Christmas with my brother and sister (my father and my little brother had passed away). During my holiday, I went home and did some chores like cleaning the house, cooking for breakfast, and helping my mom at her salon as a hairdresser. On Christmas Eve, my family and I prayed together in my grandfather’s house and we had dinner together. I was happy and also struggling at the same time to study my best for my family. My family and I also went to a park at the mall. We enjoyed the night and celebrated the new year with full spirit, and precisely at 00.00 we heard the trumpet and saw fireworks. It was really beautiful. The final exam of the semester was held in the first week of the new year. It was very annoying because I had to study during the holiday.
In Dorkas shelter, we held an entrepreneurship activity. In that event, I was taught about sea sharks and shark pools and learned how to make cakes. My friends and I also practiced selling it in Kwitang and our sales were sold out. I was also happy because the Japanese Prime Minister’s wife, Mrs. Akie Abe visited our shelter. The visit was very short indeed, but enough to make me and my friends impressed.
Yours sincerely, Vana
Message from Vana, 2016
On my first day going to college, I really loved it. Before we start our class, I must join New Students Orientation Ceremony for a week. I wore a white shirt, black pants, and a tie. I was excited to start college.
My lecturers are very firm while teaching us, but they are very friendly outside the classroom. In this 1st semester I have 9 courses; introduction to psychology, fundamentals of guidance and counseling, philosophy of Christian education, the basics of education, the teaching profession, learning strategies, Pancasila (5 values of Indonesia), Christian ethics, and communication. In every class, my group and I have to make a presentation. We also have to make a paper and summary for each chapter.
Although I feel tired because of so many assignments, I will always think about how blessed I am that I can study at university for free while some people can not. I must make my parents and people around me especially the Heliconia Scholarship Foundation proud of me. That is my motivation to study harder and make my future better.
Sincerely, Vana
