Blogs: 人民

Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food has been running scholarship programmes to help Indonesians go further in life and eventually be able to fulfil their dreams. Dedy Gerson Gultom is the recipient of one such scholarship.

Dedy was a successful applicant of the Sinar Mas Scholarship Programme and graduated in 2012. He immediately received post-graduation training at one of our estates in Riau, and afterwards, was given a placement as an Agronomy Assistant in Papua. In the last few years, Dedy excelled in his role, and today has risen through the ranks to become an Agronomy Assistant Head. Through his job, Dedy has been able to get exposure in Riau, and Papua.

pursuing his dream
He first heard about the Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food Scholarship from his family and decided to apply for an opportunity to pursue higher education: “I had a dream – to be able to study at college and improve my family’s welfare. After the application processes, I went to the campus, and everything was taken care of by the company.”

This 27-year-old shared that one of the biggest challenges he faced during his scholarship was the hectic class schedule and assignments that had to be completed. Even free time was used for soft skills training. Nevertheless, Dedy feels that it did help him to develop self-discipline, to get him ready for work in the field.

“Time passed by so swiftly, because everything was a learning process and at that time, I was very excited.”

Dedy remembers when he first arrived at the plantation in Riau for his internship, he was given an extremely comprehensive introduction about plantation management and direct practice in the field.

“Months went by so swiftly because everything was a learning process, and I was very excited because there was so much to learn. Automatically, student life and work-life were connected, and I could make sense of what I had been learning in school.”

During this period, Dedy also learned about life, work patterns, discipline, and agronomy practices in plantations.

Being able to support the family
Coming from a family with a rice and vegetable farming background, Dedy is certain that the education made possible by the scholarship has helped bridge any economic limitations keeping him from his dreams. “This programme has deep meaning in my life. I am the second child of five siblings, and after working here, I have been able to help my younger siblings through school,” said Dedy.

Currently, Dedy is responsible for more than 1,300 hectares of plantation land. Every morning, he makes work plans with agronomy assistants, monitors field workers and manages plantation administration. What Dedy likes about working on plantations is that there is social diversity in each one. Managing employees from various backgrounds and areas require him to use different approaches and communication techniques, which can be challenging, but also beneficial for his personal development. He feels he has also become more mature and responsible since taking on his role.

“My message to prospective scholarship candidates is to make full use of this extraordinary opportunity. Work hard and learn to accept and absorb as much knowledge as possible,” said Dedy.

To help the best students get quality education, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food runs several scholarship programmes. Want to make your dreams come true like Dedy? Find more information about scholarships from Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food here.