Against All Odds: Inspiration from Andi Putrado

Written by Afni Febriani Muzdalifah & Willy Prasetya

Andi Putrado [personal documentation]

Being seemingly quiet, most people can easily mistake Andi Putrado as an average student. However, what he has been through has made him an extraordinary example of perseverance.

Andi is the first child of three siblings from a modest family. His father works as a private driver and a trader, while his mother runs a small shop. He passed his first year at the English Language Education Program of Universitas Islam Indonesia without much trouble. He also joined the university debate club and Taekwondo club in his spare time.

Unfortunately, as he stepped into the second year of college, her mother fell ill. His family had to give everything they had to nurse her back to health at the cost of financial support for Andi. Despite this challenge, Andi was determined to stay in college, so he decided to find a job to earn some money for living.

Andi worked as a waiter in a restaurant near the campus. Having a full-time job and attending classes at the same time turned out to be difficult for Andi. He had to skip some classes due to his work schedule. Oftentimes, when he was in class, he could not focus on the lessons since he already got tired after working. Also, dealing with annoying customers or being scolded by his supervisor often left him emotionally drained. However, he could eventually overcome the challenge despite earning a lower GPA.

That was not the only time life bashed him around. Besides working as a waiter, once Andi got the opportunity to be a private tutor. Since he did not have a motorcycle, he had to use his friend’s motorcycle or went to his student’s house by bicycle. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to do his best, he often came late and thus could not keep the job after a few meetings.

 After all, when life closes a door, someone can always breach the wall instead of waiting for another door to open. He kept going through despite all the limitations and challenges, and his persistence paid off. He participated in various academic events, and even he got the 2^nd runner-up position in two debate competitions. He also earned the opportunity to have his student teaching in Philippines, something that not all students could get. Despite all his outstanding achievements, Andi always tries to be humble. He acknowledged that he would have not made it this far without the relentless support from his parents, lecturers, and friends.

His story of perseverance shows us that we can achieve our dreams as long as we are willing to keep going against all odds. Besides, as Andi remarked, it is also important to know how to achieve what we want, to be open to various possibilities, and to keep praying.