VPOTUS Mike Pence to YSEALI: Make a difference, Don't wait to be asked

For the first time ever, Donald Trump’s sidekick, the current Vice President of the United States of America visited Indonesia. During his brief visit, he decided to meet with 23 YSEALI alumnae for a brief session, and I was one of them. Yes, it was unexpected.

I was one of the four panelists who were chosen to represent the program, and no.. I was not there on behalf of just the Indonesian Alumni, I was there on behalf of the whole YSEALI alumnae in ASEAN. We were also the very first youth groups of US State Dept youth exchange programs that current administration met. 

So, we needed to tell VPOTUS that youth exchange program matters and create a difference in our lives. We were there to be the voices of the youths of Asia, Africa and the world.. and each one of us only had 1 minute.

It may sound dramatic, but it kinda was.

When the US Embassy told me that VP is coming to Indonesia and going to meet YSEALI alumnae, I was really impressed. I know that he is from Trump’s administration, and yes, I am a big Obama fan, but I personally think that it is great that he made time for us.

He made time for YSEALI, a program that was created by the former president.

He sure was busy during the visit, yet he can still squeeze his time to meet us, these young bunch of aspiring change-makers.

I was so ready to be there and listen to his talk. I wanted to know how the 2^nd most important person in USA actually is. Then, they told me the twist, that there will be 4 alumnae sitting next to him to introduce how YSEALI has affected us – and I will be one of them.

Then I froze.

Because it suddenly got bigger. I will be talking to the Vice President. He will be listening to me!

The stake suddenly got higher.

Not only that I will have to tell him how wonderful my exchange time at YSEALI was, but I needed to convince him to keep the program going.

I needed to tell him how YSEALI has helped us making friends across ASEAN, collaborate with them and create bigger impact regionally. 

I needed to tell him what I do here, with Fingertalk, promoting inclusion in Indonesia, and how I have learned so much about disability movement during my time there in the US.

Also, secretly, I wanted to tell him how such a melting pot US was! How diverse my host family was and how you guys American need to be proud of your country.
I needed to tell him that YSEALI has opened my mind.

.. and I only have 1 freaking minute.

So, when the day finally arrived and Vice President Pence shook my hand, I knew I had to do this right. 

VPOTUS' remarks before our intro

Each one of the four panelists had their turn to introduce themselves. They were amazing with what they do and it was really an honor to share the stage with them.

I was the last one and I know I can’t screw it up.

Don't mess it up, Dissa!

Mr. Vice President,

Thank you for being here in Jakarta. Thank you for meeting us as well.
My name is Dissa, born and raised here in Indonesia. However, last year, for the first time ever, I had the chance to go to the US, as a part of YSEALI Professional Fellowship Program. I learned so much about social impact and met the deaf community over there.

Here in Indonesia I am working with deaf community here in Indonesia. We created Fingertalk, a social movement to provide job opportunities for the deaf. We open café, car wash and workshop to hopefully empower the community by promoting disability employment. 

Through YSEALI I was able to meet friends from ASEAN and realized that disability employment is a common issue across the region. Now, I am working with friends from different ASEAN countries to create a more inclusive ASEAN and hopefully the world.
Thank you very much and I am very happy to meet you in person, Mr. Vice President

That was my one minute! Phew! Here you can watch the snippet of it! :D

One thing I love about him was that he seemed to have genuine interests in our projects. He listened to our introduction carefully and acknowledged the work that we do. He said he has learned a lot about leadership, yet he felt that he learned a lot from our stories. He felt our passion and very inspired by it.

Mr. Vice President was also very humbled by the experience of meeting us, the young social impactors. “I feel that I am looking at the future leaders”, he said while smiling to the entire room.

Thank you, Sir for the encouragement.

After our introduction, he shared his view on leadership. He shared what he learned from his time serving in the US government. This was the summary of what he said:

“I was just somebody from a little town in the heart of America, but I had a dream of working in Washington DC someday.

So, today I want to share with you what I have learned along the way. When you want to make a change in the world, remember this. 
Firstly, don’t wait to be asked. Do it before someone asked you to do so.

Secondly, when you wanna make a different, be different. It is also very important to work from your heart. 

And the third is once you’ve started, hang on. Hang on there, because things are gonna get harder and harder” (here, I nodded – like furiously, because I agreed. Yes, Sir. It will get harder)

Another nice thing I remembered was how he said he felt that prayer is one of the things that helped him to achieve his goals. 

VPOTUS with the panelists (Arya, Puspita, Michelle and me) and the moderator (Inez)

It was really a humbling experience

He ended his remarks by thanking us for doing our work and being part of YSEALI. He then shook hands with the panelists.

When he shook my hand, he actually said to me “I like the work that you’re doing” and smiled.

I smiled ear to ear and said thank you.

VPOTUS initiated this "unplanned" group photo :)

It reminded me when President Obama said to “keep up the good work”.

I was very encouraged, which means we must work harder.

Let’s keep going friends!

Thank you especially for the US Embassy for giving me the opportunity. It was a humbling experience to meet one of US most important people and shared how YSEALI has changed our lives, because it has, and we need to keep it going.

Special thanks to Putra for being so patient with us haha

Go YSEALI!

#proudYSEALIalumni - to happy to see my face there!

#YSEALISummit2017