Education Beyond Privileged | Fathia Fairuza | TEDxSampoernaUniversity

Summary

The speaker, Faia, from a middle-class background, challenges the notion that privilege alone dictates one's ability to pursue higher education. Through personal experiences, including a discrimination incident in Spain and her subsequent activism, Faia emphasizes the importance of education in shaping one's life purpose and empowering individuals to overcome their backgrounds. Her journey from a public school in Indonesia to Columbia University and an internship at the UN illustrates how education can be a catalyst for change, fostering critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills, ultimately enabling one to redefine their future.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script emphasizes the importance of pursuing higher education as a means to transcend one's socio-economic background and achieve personal growth and opportunities.
• 🌐 The creator, Faia, shares her personal journey of studying abroad, highlighting the challenges she faced and how education empowered her to advocate for her rights.
• 🏛 The narrative challenges the misconception that only those born into privilege can pursue higher education, asserting that determination and resilience can overcome economic barriers.
• 👳 Faia's experience in Spain, where she was told to remove her hijab, illustrates the importance of standing up for one's identity and rights, a lesson she learned from her education.
• 📉 The script discusses the concept of emotional intelligence, highlighting its significance in leadership and how Faia applied it to navigate her conflict with the teacher in Spain.
• 💪 Faia's story demonstrates resilience in the face of rejection from universities in Indonesia, showing how persistence and a growth mindset can lead to new opportunities.
• 🎓 Education is portrayed as a tool for creating life purpose and setting goals, as Faia discovered her mission to ensure quality education for all through her studies and experiences.
• 🌟 The idea of 'IKIGAI' is introduced, which is a concept that combines passion, skill, payment, and contribution to the world, and Faia found her purpose in human rights activism.
• 🏆 Faia's achievements, including founding a nonprofit and being accepted to study at prestigious universities, underscore the transformative power of education in personal and professional development.
• 🔍 The script underscores the necessity of 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, which Faia sought to sharpen through further education.
• 🌈 The final takeaway is that education is a catalyst for change, providing individuals from all backgrounds the chance to improve their lives and achieve their dreams, as exemplified by Faia's journey from Indonesia to New York.

Q & A

What common criticism do creators sharing their experiences about higher education abroad often face?

They often face criticism in the comments section suggesting that they are privileged.

What is typically meant by 'privilege' in the context of pursuing higher education abroad?

Privilege often refers to one's economic status, specifically individuals born into wealthy families.

What background does Faia come from?

Faia comes from a middle-class family where her father holds a college degree and her mother is a high school graduate.

Why does Faia believe background should not define one's future opportunities?

Faia believes that background should not define one's future opportunities because everyone can pursue higher education and improve their life regardless of their economic status.

What challenging experience did Faia face during her high school exchange program in Madrid?

Faia was asked to remove her hijab by a teacher and was threatened with expulsion if she did not comply.

How did Faia respond to the demand to remove her hijab?

Faia initiated a petition against the demand, which gained over 3,200 signatures worldwide, highlighting the discrimination she faced.

What role does education play in Faia's fight for her rights?

Education taught Faia about her rights, emotional intelligence, and how to strategically address injustices, which helped her in creating a movement against the discrimination she faced.

What concept did Faia encounter at her university that helped her define her purpose?

Faia encountered the concept of 'ikigai,' which combines what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.

What organization did Faia create to support underprivileged students in Indonesia?

Faia created a non-profit organization called Shape Your Life Indonesia, which helps underprivileged high school students pursue higher education through free mentorship programs and scholarships.

How did Faia's education contribute to her acceptance into a master's program and eventually an internship at the UN?

Faia's education equipped her with critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills, leading to her acceptance into prestigious universities and eventually securing an internship at the UN.

What is the main message Faia wants to convey about education?

Faia emphasizes that education is a catalyst for change, offering individuals the opportunity to improve their lives and achieve their goals, regardless of their background.