Born in 1993 in Indonesia, Bagas Deka Kurtianto has spent 17 years in China, and 5 years in SUFE. He is so familiar with China and SUFE that when it comes to China, Shanghai and SUFE, Bagas has a lot to talk about.
The story between Bagas and China begins in 2001. When his father, an employee of an airline, was appointed to China, his whole family moved to Guangzhou. In 2004, he moved to Beijing where he finished junior high school. After that, he came to Shanghai, and has stayed there ever since. “In 2011, all of my family went back to Indonesia leaving me alone in Shanghai, sometimes I feel lonely, but I have never met any huge barriers because of my social life in the student union and other organizations.”
Bagas does have a stunning record in SUFE and even in China——ex-chairman of the International Student Union, Director of the Graduate Union, Vice President of the Indonesia International Student Association. As a chair of the International Student Union, he made great changes inside the organization, from the aims to discipline. He successfully got a sponsor of 10 return-plane tickets to Bali from Indonesia airlines to attract students to participate in various activities. Under his leadership, he recruited 114 members, including over 20 directors and 3 other chairs. He organized the very first ‘Top Ten Exchange Student Singers and bonded the Chinese and International Student Union together for the first time. He created members conferences and outward bound activities, which are traditions today. “I try to create a harmonious atmosphere for foreign students to express opinions freely. I implement what I learned from the Indonesia International Student Association to the SUFE Union and it turned out to be a great success.” He was the postgraduate representative on the Opening Ceremony for New Sufers. Standing in front of over 3000 students and wearing Indonesian traditional clothes, Bagas delivered the speech in flawlessly fluent Chinese, and the audience burst into applause. Apparently no one expected such excellent Chinese from a foreigner. Now as a Director of the Postgraduate Union, Bagas always finds a way to bring everyone together. “I love SUFE. SUFE is my home. I will always come back home and watch out for it. In the recent five years, great changes have taken place here. I even witnessed the construction of the gymnasium.”
Bagas witnesses not only the development of SUFE but also the development of China. “When I first came to China, even Guangzhou was less developed. The past two decades have seen amazing changes in China.” As the vice president of the Indonesia International Student Association of China, he travels a lot all over China and visits many places such as Harbin, Tianjin, Qingdao, Beidaihe, Guangzhou, Beijing, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Suzhou. He is an old China hand and quite accustomed to Chinese food. “Xi’an and Beijing are the best in terms of history. Shanghai and Guangzhou are on the top speaking of development. Chengdu is famous for its food and Jiuzhaigou is known for its natural beauty.” He was so devoted to his work that he seldom spends much time sightseeing. “I’ve always been like this. In Yogyakarta, I intended to hang out with friends, but on the second day of our trip, I communicated with the local universities to deliver speeches to publicize further study in China. I just couldn’t resist the chance to help others experience China.”
Bagas has a clear vision for himself. As he said himself,“I am a person with long term plans. I wanted to go to SUFE in my second year of senior high school. I want to learn more about economics and SUFE is my best choice. For those who want to be a better person and explore the best sides of themselves, SUFE is definitely an ideal place to go.” Even though he is majoring in finance and economics, his ideal career is politician to build the bridge between China and Indonesia. After 17 years in China, Bagas keeps his traits of an Indonesian. “I will go back to Indonesia whenever my country needs me. I hope I can be the bridge for two countries and make the world a better place.”
