Meet USINTEC April 2016: Irfan Rifai

We have a new worker in USINTEC! This is a good opportunity to learn a little bit more about our dear friend Irfan.Irfan

Q: What’s your name and background (where are you from, age, school history, etc.)?
A: My name is Irfan Rifai. I am from Indonesia and I am 40 yrs old. I’ve gotten my Master’s in Education from Flinders University, Australia, and my Bachelor degree in English Language Teaching from IKIP Semarang/ UNNES, Indonesia.
Q: How did you find out about USINTEC/OSU?
A: I learned about OSU and USINTEC from their website, as well as their Facebook pages and my friends told me about them.
Q: What major/degree are you pursuing at OSU?
A: I am currently pursuing my PhD in Reading and Literacy in Early and Middle Childhood (RLEMC).
Q: How is your time in the States? What are some of the hardest culture shocks? What are some the best memories? How has your adjustment been?
A: I have just been here for 8 months. My period of adjustment has been made easy with the support from the university, USINTEC, and the incredible Indonesian community.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to current or future students?
A: Buckle up and get ready for an exciting academic roller coaster! Get support and  find out how to get one when you first get here.
Q: How do you like working for USINTEC now?
A: I love it. Meeting and interacting with Faculty members in the non-classroom situations and helping other international students  are some of the most valuable experiences I’ve had.

Teaching Award 2015

Teaching Award 2015

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Risa has been awarded the USAID Scholarship administered by US – Indonesia Teacher Consortium (USINTEC) in 2013 to accomplish a master’s degree in the US. She received her degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where she studied Teaching and Learning with a specialization in Science Education. Upon her graduation in 2014, she returned to teach in Junior High School 3 in Pontianak, West Borneo. Because of her passion in teaching, learning, and sharing, Risa applied for the Teaching Award on the regional level for her city. After several tests such as teaching practice, interview, and best practice presentation, she was selected to represent Junior High School teachers in Pontianak to compete at the Province Level. In this level, there are 13 Junior High School teachers from the districts in the Province of West Borneo who will participate to be finalists at the national level. The event at the Province level is more competitive, but she was nominated to represent West Borneo on the national level. The Teaching Award in the National level was held in Jakarta in November 2015. At this event, all teachers have the opportunity to receive direct instruction about the government’s policies in education from The Minister of Education and Culture, Anies Baswedan, Ph.D., and they also attended Teachers’ Day in Istora Senayan, Jakarta with the President of Indonesia, Ir. H. Joko Widodo. The best part about being one of the finalists of the National Teaching Award is that she met and shared experiences with other fellow teachers from across Indonesia who are bright and inspiring teachers. As a result of her achievement, the Mayor of Pontianak, Sutarmidji, M.Hum gave her an Umrah Trip Award, a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia next year. Risa also enjoys being a volunteer and currently is involved as a mentor in the USA Mentorship Program, a platform where Indonesian graduates of U.S. colleges and universities guide young Indonesians who want to study in the United States.

Congratulations Risa!IMG_2038