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Having Received Scholarships, Now Wants to Facilitate One
For as long as he can remember, Junius Rumindei has always wanted to become involved in commerce. Even so, born to parents who are both school teacher, Junius admitted, "But perhaps when I finally retire many years from now, I may become a teacher – a university lecturer.”
As the youngest in a family of five children, Junius has always remembered the importance his family placed on their children improving their lives and striving to get ahead.
His parents’ constant messages and Junius’ own commitment certainly paid dividends, as Junius is now CEO of his own executive search company – sometimes known in the corporate world as a “head-hunter”.
After primary and secondary schooling in Lampung, South Sumatra, Junius financed his own studies at Universitas Lampung, where he gained his Bachelor of Economics in Business Management with first class honours.
“With five children in the family to educate, our parents had no spare money available to pay for university fees, so I found ways to finance my own tertiary studies,” Junius explained. “From brokering printing jobs for local businesses to selling clothes at a rented store, if there was a way to make and save money for future studies, I would be sure to find it.”
During his school days, Junius quickly developed a love for mathematics – a skill and affinity that has stayed with him throughout his university studies in Indonesia, Singapore and Australia.
Junius holds a Master of Science degree in Business Policy/Strategy from the National University of Singapore Business School and a Master of Commerce degree in Business Management from the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Both of his master’s degrees were full-merit scholarships awarded by the Singaporean and Australian governments.
Always on the lookout for a way to progress, Junius knew that he would never be able to afford to pay for overseas studies, and so kept an eye out for scholarships.
“I saw an advertisement for the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau Scholarships (AIDAB) in the newspaper one day, so I quickly applied for one.”
In Australia, he quickly learned how to say “G’day, Mate” with just the right amount of Australian accent, and soon came to enjoy the cool weather, the relative solitude and the green landscape of Wollongong.
“Dormitory life at the University of Wollongong was good, and I made some lasting friendships there,” he smiled.
Now both a published author and motivational speaker, Junius represents the embodiment of modern management practices in Indonesia.
As President of the Jakarta Chapter of the National University of Singapore Business School Alumni Association; a member of the Australian Government Scholarships Alumni Reference Group (ARG); and a finalist in the Australian Alumni Awards for 2008, Junius is happy to give advice to scholarship and entrepreneur hopefuls.
“There are plenty of opportunities for scholarships out there, and the Australia Awards scholarships are the best managed by far,” he states.
His personal dream also includes giving back to society some of the benefits he has gained from it throughout his life to date.
“Somewhere in the future, I would like to set up a philanthropic organisation – one that provides scholarships to the people that really need and deserve them – and who have the ability but few opportunities to succeed in life, particularly those living in rural areas, as well as urban-poor people in Indonesia.”
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