From Student to Global Citizen: Mario’s Discovery of a Bigger Universe Called Humanity

UTS BUILD is such a rich journey to go through, that I, Mario Johan Hartono, at the tip of the journey feels proud and delighted to look back and reflecting on myself of how much I’ve grown and developed throughout the experience. I came to Sydney as an international student at UTS to initially just enhance my career that I’ve started back in my country, Indonesia. Joining and following BUILD at UTS has allowed me to go beyond and see myself and the world in a whole wider perspective.

It was a tough time for everybody in the world when I decided to join UTS BUILD. I was already enrolled at UTS and have no other choice than to do my course online in Indonesia as an impact of COVID-19 pandemic. A drawback from online communication is how trippy it could be that information about online orientation didn’t reach me at that time. Driven by my effort on making the most from this situation, I dive deep into UTS website and found UTS BUILD that promised me this great opportunity to enhance my learning experience.

Put up on the internet under UTS CareerHub website, UTS BUILD described as an extracurricular leadership program aimed to prepare students to become a global leaders and active global citizens. It gives opportunity for the students to explore global issues, develop a global mindset, and build professional skills needed for a truly international career that delivers positive social impact and addressing issues that matter locally and internationally.

Understanding the information and reflecting to my hope as well in coming to Australia to enrich my mind, knowledge and personal experience, I thought I could take this first step for it while I got stuck in my country. At that time, my journey with build started with a big annual event, called INTERCHANGE program.

INTERCHANGE is a virtual employability program that introduce the participants to the world of entrepreneurship and innovation, whilst at the same time providing us with career confidence and critical work experience for our resume and future job applications. Having it organized by FRANK.io and supported by StudyNSW, this intense, fun, adventurous fast paced program allows me to experience working in an environment of diversity and inclusivity and making new friends and build my network by bringing together 250 students from 7 different educational institutions and majors in New South Wales, from my own campus, UTS, to University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, Australian Catholic University, Central Queensland University, Torrens University and Western Sydney University.

I was so happy to experience this extraordinary opportunity before I finally could come to Australia. I continued my course, which is my true passion of the Media Industry and expanding my journey with UTS BUILD along the way through its core and elective programs.

I’m able to gain a lot from many opportunities offered on my plate. I have to thank acknowledge High Resolves part of making it possible. Through their “Identity & Purpose” workshop, I learnt the beauty in diversity and inclusivity, embracing the multi-color of my society and my own identity that has part on making it complete. From their “Better Self” and “Just Society” workshop, I can feel now that I live in a way that is more compassionate and fuller of empathy and I can see justice in a much wider and wiser perspective.

I met Frank.io again through “Introduction to Leadership” I could revisit and reflect on how my understanding on leadership that has been built from Interchange went after it. I learnt about myself and different types of leadership of other people that really fuel the dynamic of teamwork and make it works.

I also have a chance to meet amazing people and listen to them directly on important issues in the world. I met Lucy Sweeney and Tegan Taylor, reporters of ABC which is a media that I am a fan of. They bring a “Read Between the Lines: Critical Thinking in a Globalised World” workshop and I’m able to think more critical on the fast-streaming information I received everywhere in this digital era. I also had an amazing conversation with Ashley Fell, a social researcher, author, TEDx speaker and Director of Advisory at McCrindle. She brought the “Can you ‘Gen Z’ me? Standing Out in Future Workplaces” and I enjoy the conversation on working with different generation in workplace, which is a scheme that felt really close to my reality.

Before I met UTS BUILD, I am a person full of passion with every single bit of my surroundings. Now that I have reached the tip of my journey with UTS BUILD, I feel I’ve became part of the horizon of a bigger universe, which is the humanity. I have now seen myself as part of the global citizen that I am ready to take my part on nurturing the mother earth that has been the place of the beautiful stories of humanity growth.

Mario Johan Hartono
Master of Media Practice and Industry
UTS BUILD Alumni