I’m one of those people that didn’t know what I wanted to major in university until the very last minute of high school. I know I’ve always been terrible at academics but good at arts. I also knew I wanted to have a career in the creative industry so I remembered a well known local university for the arts was Binus. Took my chance at Visual Communication Design, got in, had a crazy time, wasn’t the best student, but I was so proud to graduate with a B. Binus is one of those local universities that embraces diversity, inclusivity and equality. From the lecturers to students, they truly welcome you for who you are and wanna be. I remember one of the reasons I chose Binus was because of the culture. It makes you feel like you’re part of a community, that you don’t feel lonely. But let’s be real, university is hard for everyone. It’s such a scary place to begin your adulthood. But Binus showed me they can be trusted and that made me courageous. My experience in Binus was a tough one, I easily got insecure of my classmates as they were incredible designers and the lecturers were tough. However, I wouldn’t change anything about it, my lecturers were tough because they deeply care about my success, they truly got my back and still do until now that i’m an alumni. And being in a class of incredible designers just means I was curated to be part of the best. To be a great designer, we gotta learn from the best. And Binus gave me the best opportunity. Aside from all that, Binus is very well connected to the creative industry. Not just the university itself, but the people you meet will get you connected. They supported me throughout my internship / entrepreneurship period and in my last semester, the intense modul and support was incredible. And to this day, I have so much gratitude for every single person i’ve met in Binus. Because of Binus, I became courageous. From courage, i got the opportunity to be the lead designer for Musikal Petualangan Sherina. From that opportunity, i fell in love with branding which got me into University of The Arts London, graduating with a Masters of Arts in Graphic Branding & Identity in 2022. Alongside winning the Design & Art Direction Awards, and now i’m proudly a full time designer in a global creative advertising agency called Grey in London, United Kingdom. So the three things i can say to the next generations of Binusians are:

  • be scared as it gets you hungry for courage,
  • stay connected cause that’s how you get places,
  • and have the best time or you’ll regret it.

Best of luck, cheers!

Jo x