ITS Business Management Department student Bima Surya Samudra during the Erasmus+Global Exchange program at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland

ITS Campus, ITS News — Civitas academica of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) has once again contributed to making Indonesia’s name famous abroad. This time, through the Erasmus+ Global Exchange scholarship program, ITS has succeeded in sending its students as representatives of Indonesia to study for one semester at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland.

The recipient of the scholarship funded by the European Union is a student of the ITS Business Management Department (MB) Bima Surya Samudra. This success is even more proud because he is the only Indonesian student selected for the program. “Thanks to my dedication to the ITS Business Management Department, I managed to get a recommendation from the head of the department to join this program,” explained Bima, who is still in Finland at this time.

During the period of August – December 2024 undergoing a student exchange in the capital city of Finland, Helsinki, Bima felt a very different experience from his daily life in Surabaya. The academic life he lived gave him greater freedom to explore his learning interests. “For one semester I have studied various software related to business processes and applied them directly to the organizations and projects that I participated in at ITS,” said the young man who was born in Surabaya, December 12, 2002.

Bima Surya Samudra (standing) while presenting his studies in front of the Indonesian Ambassador to Finland and Estonia Ratu Silvy Gayatri and the Indonesian Student Association in FinlandIn addition, Bima also appreciates the culture of communicating directly and openly and completing assignments efficiently and in balance in the happiest country in the world. According to Bima, this allows students to focus more on their studies without having to feel burdened by various other assignments outside of class hours. “While here (Finland, ed), everyone really values ​​time and no one uses weekends to work,” added the 2021 student when contacted via online message.

With the enthusiasm to continue learning and developing, this student who is also active as an ITS Online crew does not only attend formal lectures in Finland. He is also actively seeking practical experience by undergoing an internship at Demola Global, a global community that focuses on inviting students to be creative on current global problems. This experience has given him the opportunity to apply the knowledge he has learned directly in the real world of work.

Bima Surya Samudra (back right) with Erasmus+ Global Exchange scholarship recipients from Bhutan and International Affairs Officer Haaga-Helia University

Although initially worried about being lonely in a foreign country, the only son of Indrian Polii and Sri Wahyuning Illahi actually found a very diverse community. Together with 178 other scholarship recipients from the same program, he studied and exchanged ideas with different perspectives. Not only that, Indonesian students who received the 2024 Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) scholarship also managed to accompany him until the end of the student exchange.

The opportunity to study in another country with full funding has opened up opportunities for Indonesian students to develop more rapidly at the global level. Likewise with Bima, not only wanting to develop himself, he also contributed to sharing his knowledge with his closest environment at ITS. “It’s useless if the knowledge gained is only for yourself,” he said motivatingly. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Syahidan Nur Habibie Ash-Shidieq