Alumni News Update: Aisyah Novanarima

What are you up to now?
This year’s going to be the 8th year since my graduation from Binus University. At the moment I’m enjoying my time managing Tabu.id’s communication activities. Tabu.id (instagram.com/tabu.id) is a sexual/reproductive health education platform that has youth as its main target audience. As of 8 April 2021, it has more than 104,000 followers on Instagram and more than 5,000 followers on TikTok. We’ll soon establish our Twitter and Facebook presence to reach larger audience. Money-making (instead of ‘work’ LOL) has been something I enjoy the most. End of March 2021 marked my 5+ years of contribution to the government of Indonesia. I built my communications career as a copywriter to Indonesian early-stage tech startups back in 2011. Who would’ve thought I’d have the chance to serve for the public at 2 government offices: Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Informatics and the National Council for Financial Inclusion Secretariat 🙂

Why did you choose to pursue English Literature?
Back in 2009, I had no idea of what I want to do in the future nor I knew my true passion. I only knew I like studying English throughout my entire school years, and when I found out I can formally learn about it in uni, I chose it with no hesitation.

What do you miss the most from your university life in BINUS University’s English Department?
I miss getting busy doing what I love without having to think about bills! In my Binus days I joined a couple of English competitions, looked for potential research projects I can participate in, went to career expo to look for an internship and/or part-time work opportunity, tried my luck MC-ing at the graduation ceremony, and went to free linguistic workshops or seminars at Atmajaya Catholic University Jakarta and University of Indonesia. I sound like a resilient, achiever language geek, but in reality I was just a regular student at Binus who loves what she did.

Advice for prospective/current students
You have 4 years in front of you, quite a long time to identify your malleable skillset, what you really love doing and what kind of career you want to have in the future. Take as much time and opportunity as you want to discover the ‘you’ that you might haven’t known so far, and Binus University’s English Department may be one of your best available opportunities to do so.

Notes to our beloved English Department
I hope everyone’s in good health and stay sane against all dramatic changes in life during the COVID-19 pandemic.