One of the IISMA awardees in ITB was Hieronimus Jevon Valerian from Actuarial Science batch 2019. With a GPA of 4.00, he is a 4-time recipient of the Dean’s List award and is often called the best first-year student in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, class of 2019. He is also consistently active in several organizations, projects, internships, and competitions related to his major.

Jevon has always aspired to study abroad since high school. When he was informed about the IISMA program, he decided to register and ended up qualified for the chance to enroll at the University of York, UK.

The University of York is one of the Russell Group universities that accept the Duolingo English Test as its English proficiency requirement. Jevon chose this university because of his wish to study in the UK and his love for the Harry Potter movies.

Jevon took four courses with a total of 60 credits (equivalent to 20 credits in Indonesia): Intercultural Competency, Employability and Academic Skills, Foundations of Business Ethics, Management and Marketing of Technology, as well as Innovation and Firm Competitiveness.

During his stay in York, Jevon encountered some culture shocks such as cold temperatures, culinary preferences, and learning styles. Studying at the University of York is an entirely different experience; seminars that raise real-life cases are often held and discussed using previously taught materials.

"In Actuarial Science, I mostly deal with quantitative problems and computer programming, whereas courses in the University of York lean towards both management and marketing that are based on scientific journals and qualitative cases," Jevon explained.

To catch up with his studies, Jevon familiarizes himself with reading journals and creates a schedule for his daily studies. Aside from learning, Jevon joined several in-campus organizations, including the Music Society of the University of York and the Indonesian Student Association (PPI) of York. He also spent time socializing with other international students.

"I think IISMA is a good program and I am grateful to be one of its awardees because I can experience many things in terms of education and culture. Hopefully, this program can continue to grow and provide greater benefits in the future," concluded Jevon.

Reporter: Trizzos Gabriel Limbong (Telecommunication Engineering, 2020)

Translator: Ruth Nathania (Environmental Engineering, 2019)