Nothing is Impossible

Saturday, 3 September, 2016 was a historical day for 243 ITHB’s fresh graduates, including William Chi from the Information System Study Program. Chi’s parents took a long flight from Sintang, West Kalimantan, to attend their son’s graduation. A few years ago, it was with a heavy heart that Chi’s parents let his son go to Bandung. But they trusted their church pastor’s recommendation to send their beloved son to ITHB. Now the fruit of their sacrifice is ready to harvest.

William is the first Chi in the family to earn a university degree. Coming from a small city, William found it difficult to adapt to big city life. Yet, against all odds, he topped his fellow graduates from all over the country and graduated cum laude as the Best 2016 Graduate, with an almost perfect GPA of 3.94. “I feel grateful. It never occurred to me that I would ever be the best graduate. Thank you, Lord Jesus.”

In semester 2, William went through a testing time when he almost dropped out from school after his family business in Sintang had collapsed from fire. William attempted different scholarship schemes. A way opened when he found information about a highly selective scheme that required an awardee a constant GPA of 3.9 each semester. “The almost-perfect GPA thing sounded impossible, but there was no other way.”

William then set a target grade for every course in every semester. It was both his perseverance and endless prayers that finally gave him the strength to achieve and even exceed his expectations.

There were times, though, when William felt he flunked in social life. He did not know how to make friends. Aware of her student’s problem, Ibu Riana Magdalena (an ITHB lecturer) gave William a book: Personality Plus, which marked a turning point in his life. He read the book studiously, put the ideas into practice, and, before he knew it he became a different person.

Since then, he became a sociable bookworm. He devoured lots of books, particularly leadership books, on the one hand. Yet, on the other hand, he also began to actively engage himself in various student activities, including the Harapan Bangsa Leadership Forum, English Forum, and Jogathon. He also signed in for a number of seminars, which enabled him to learn the ladder to success.

Prior to graduation, William send applications to a number of companies and managed to pass through a series of selection process at a leading IT company he had been dreaming to work for. Unfortunately, William was not accepted because he caught a health problem at the final screening. This, however, did not turn him down. He did not blame the inevitable situation. “It was God who had brought me this far, and I believe He would not let this one obstacle fail me.”

Not long after, William received another job offer at another top IT company. In his graduation speech, which he delivered before more than 1,300 people, William promised to always do his best, because it was the only thing he would be required to do as a Harapan Bangsa graduate.

“I feel blessed to have internalized ITHB’s vision in me. Now I’ll always do my best to be a leader that brings a change. To change, we must be ready to face a new environment and tackle all challenges. I hope that more and more people will understand that each process is a step that they must undergo without complaining. I believe that a success without a process and a series of difficulties would be far less meaningful.”

William, S.T.

Information System Graduate

ITHB’s Best Graduate 2016

Works as an IT Consultant for WPS in Jakarta