Some of the nation’s brightest graduates are bringing their devotion to learning to rural areas on a one-year placement

“The wise man once said, ‘Every day has a miracle’, and I believe it too,” said forestry studies graduate Erwin Puspaningtyas Irjayanti of the work she did with the Indonesia Teaching Foundation (IM).

Irjayanti, who was sent to teach at a school in a remote area of West Sulawesi, recalls teaching Rizki. The third-grade student had been skipping classes. But after Irjayanti arrived, he showed a new interest and began to excel. It was not long before he was scoring up to 80% in exams composed of fourth and sixth-grade material.

“I was stunned,” said Irjayanti, who graduated from the Bandung Institute of Technology, West Java. “I remember the days Rizki would throw paper balls at me. Now he asks, ‘When can I experience life overseas?'”