Testimonial – Sekolah Kristen Ketapang 1 Alumni
Cherry Setiadi
Top 3 Best Graduates in Accounting Major, Faculty of Economics and Business
at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia
Hello, my name is Cherry and I’m writing a testimonial as alumni of SKK 1. I graduated from Ketapang 1 in 2016 and got into one of the most reputable university in Jakarta, which is Atma Jaya. Three and a half years later, I received the gold ring from Atma Jaya as a reward for being Top 3 Best Graduates in Faculty of Economics and Business, majoring in Accounting. For those who are not familiar, the gold rings are only given for the three best graduates in each program of study for each graduation period. As for this moment, I’m working as an Associate, or usually known as Auditor, in one of the Big Four Accounting Firms in the whole world (you can Google it for details! Hehe).
If you’re a LinkedIn user, you can find me just by typing my name “Cherry Setiadi” or just a click on the link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherry-setiadi-4b8873189/
I’ve achieved so much and I’m really grateful for each achievement. But the question is, what’s the biggest contribution in my life that made me go this far? Of course there are a lot of things, but it all got to start somewhere, right? For me, my ambition started here in SKK 1. When I was in tenth grade, I saw a senior who got the General Rank (also in SKK 1) and I respected her a lot. From there, I wondered if in my life, will I be able to reach that high?
I wasn’t always the brightest kid, my motivation for studying is so-so, and my favorite subject was and only will be English. To be honest, like all the other children, my goal is just to pass the tests and graduate school because our parents decide that for all of us. However, I realized that I was gonna give it a shot; whether I succeed or not. So there went by ambition in high school.
As time passed by, I found that I love learning Geography and History, other than English. Math, Sociology, IT, and other subjects were also fun and not that hard to learn. When I think why, it wasn’t because those subjects were easy. No they were not, they honestly were really hard and I’m glad I graduated already HAHA. It was the teachers. They were nice, fun to talk with, and I noticed they worked really hard to teach us the best they could. You know that feeling of not wanting to let someone down because they’re so nice? So they also became the reason why I didn’t want to get bad scores. At least, I didn’t want to disappoint them.
I think back to my high school days and realize that other than my friends, I got a lot of good memories of my teachers, too. We all talked comfortably and discussed the difficulties of each subject that they teach, sometimes joking along the conversation. It was never hard to ask questions, express our stressful feelings, and other trivial things that does not matter to them, but they listened to us anyway.
Those positive energies led me to create my story in SKK 1. Here’s a list of some things I still remember, if you’re feeling interested:
- I got Third Rank in tenth grade
- I participated in Olimpiade Sains Nasional (OSN) Bidang Geografi in tenth and eleventh grade. I reached the Province Level and learnt a lot of things from professionals and made friends from schools all over Jakarta
- I won third place for the story telling competition held in SPEAK 5
- My class and I created a charity event for the school’s workers (office boys & girls)
- I visited the ESDM building to attend the seminar by a public figure
- I got First Rank in eleventh grade
- I got First Rank, General Rank, and Star Character award in twelfth grade
Those awards that I got are just additional points that I received during my high school days. I learnt something more important than that. It was personality & attitude making. It’s not uncommon to find cases in the daily news regarding schools, such as bullying, pranks, or even smoking and narcotics. One of the things I’m most grateful for, is that I grew up in a clean school environment where those things are prevented and prohibited. I assure you, SKK 1 is one of the safest schools out there. But it doesn’t mean that we’re not allowed to have fun at all. We’re allowed to have fun in the healthiest way there is.
I also learnt a set of soft skills, such as discipline, leadership, networking, time management, creative thinking, conflict resolution, teamwork, and self-motivation. Those skills can’t be explained explicitly, but I brought them with me to my university days. Here’s another list:
- Academically, I never got a C in my university days
- Class Officer of Panitia Pengenalan Kampus 2017 Unika Atma Jaya
- I joined Unit Kegiatan Mahasiswa (UKM) Latihan Keterampilan Manajemen Mahasiswa (LKMM) since my first semester. There, I participated in a lot of events, such as:
- Design & Material Division of UKM LKMM magazine, MILES #9
- Volunteer at TedxUAJ, a TED event created by UKM LKMM for Atma Jaya
- Research & Development Division of LKMM’s Board 2017-2018
- Coordinator of Material & Events Division in Pelatihan Besar XXVI
- Vice Coordinator & Secretary of LKMM’s Promotion Team 2018
- Coordinator of Material & Events Division in Youth Leadership Training 2019
I managed to finish my studies in 3,5 years while participating in those organizational events. It was hard managing things, but I got a lot of new friends, learnt a lot of new things, and it was really fun and challenging. I’d do it again if I got the chance. If life is a game, I leveled up a lot during high school days to prepare my uni life, but I realize I never stop increasing my level even until I graduate.
Even before I graduate, I applied into two of the Big Four Accounting Firms and got accepted in both (it was hard work, prayer, and luck combined, I tell you! Hehe). I had to manage working as a full-time employee as an Associate and finish my undergraduate thesis while I was on it. It wasn’t easy, especially I joined the company during peak-season, so I had to work overtime almost every day. I passed my thesis defense and even received the reward for being the Top 3 Best Graduate in Accounting Major during those hectic days and I’m really grateful.
I’m not saying all this because of a testimonial, but then again I’m writing this because I want to say this, honestly, as a testimonial. It’s really all thanks to God, my family, and SKK 1, especially my teachers and friends, that created the me right now. I wouldn’t be able to finish all these important tasks in front of me without a strong foundation build within me, both hard skills and personality.
If I was to choose between my school and university, which one toughened me the most? Of course it was honestly school: SKK 1. As you have to create a strong foundation to build a sturdy house, it’s the same as school. It’s important to choose a reputable and trusted school that not only teach academics, but also selling personality and attitude as its strong points in character building.
Last but not least, I would like to thank Pak Nico and SKK 1 for the opportunity to write this testimonial. I hope that SKK 1 will also be able to keep good relations with its alumnis like this, in the future as well.
For students, parents, or other parties in need for inquiry (related to this testimonial), you may contact me through my LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherry-setiadi-4b8873189/
Thank you and have a nice day, everyone!
-Cherry Setiadi (August 2020)
