Breaking the Boundaries as an Internship Student: My Journey to Present at a Southeast Asian International Forum

By Muhammad Lutfi Assidiqi

Attending the Consultative Meeting on Development of SEAMEO-ASEAN Joint Roadmap on Early Childhood Care and Education in Southeast Asia and Policy Brief on Early Childhood Development Services as a presenter, especially to present the draft policy brief that my team and I worked on during our time as interns at SEAMEO CECCEP, was a very valuable and rare experience for an intern. In this meeting, I stood in front of Governing Board (GB) members of Southeast Asian countries as well as representatives of international NGOs such as UNICEF EAPRO, Tanoto Foundation, UNESCO Indonesia, and others. This was not just a presentation, but a pivotal moment in my career where my voice was heard in prestigious forums.

As an intern, I realized that this kind of opportunity is rare. The stereotype of interns as “beginners” who only carry out small tasks, I do not feel at all at SEAMEO CECCEP. Instead of being ignored, my ideas are heard and appreciated, as if I were an integral part of a professional team. This experience encouraged me to continue to explore the material that I had learned from Dr. Lukman in the Education Policy Analysis class. The practice of writing policy briefs based on The Eightfold Path from Bardach that I learned during the lectures proved to be an important provision in completing my job at SEAMEO CECCEP.

I feel very lucky and grateful to the Faculty of Education, UIII, for facilitating the Independent Study Program and matching me with a very supportive internship place. An internship at SEAMEO CECCEP has not only provided me with significant professional experience, but also a space that has supported my personal and academic development. This opportunity has opened my eyes to the importance of an education that connects theory with real practice, and the important of having an environment that supports and rewards every contribution, regardless of status.

By this experience, I reflected on how important and invaluable this kind of opportunity is for a college student. Not only provide real experience in the field of education policy, but also build confidence to contribute in the international level. Of course, with the willingness to keep learning and the desire to keep trying to have a positive impact, as my team and I have done by drafting a policy brief on early childhood development services for the Southeast Asian region.