By Petrus Kanisius, Environmental Education and Communications Officer
On Monday June 6, an award night was held at the Hotel Nevada Ketapang for the 6 recipients of the 2022 West Bornean Orangutan Caring Scholarship (WBOCS). During the award night, the 6 WBOCS recipients signed a scholarship agreement with Yayasan Palung/GPOCP and the Orang Utan Republik Foundation. In addition to signing the agreement, there was also a presentation on progress related to the scholarship that has now been carried out since 2012. Over the last 10 years, Yayasan Palung/GPOCP has helped to award a total of 54 university scholarships.
In his remarks, the Field Director of Yayasan Palung, Edi Rahman, congratulated the WBOCS recipients. Edi further advised WBOCS recipients to always focus on studying to meet the four-year college target and to make a contribution to caring for the environment and protecting orangutans. He emphasized that it is important to safeguard the good name of their parents, Yayasan Palung, the Orang Utan Republik Foundation and their respective alma maters.
Gary Shapiro, the president of the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF), who had the opportunity to attend the WBOCS award night, expressed his appreciation to Yayasan Palung (YP) who have worked together and collaborated in carrying out the WBOCS program very well. He also hopes that the WBOCS program can continue to create scholars who are committed to caring for the environment and orangutans. Pak Gary, as he is known in Indonesia, hopes that the recipients of the 2022 WBOCS will complete their responsibilities during college. Furthermore, Gary added that he hoped that more people would support and help the WBOCS program and he also hoped that the recipients of this program could continue to grow from year-to-year.
Widiya Octa Selfiany, Manager of the Environmental Education and Conservation Awareness Program, also spoke and reminded the WBOCS recipients that they can become agents of change in society. Sumihadi, a 2014 WBOCS alumnus who currently works as a Laboratory Assistant at the Cabang Panti Research Station, had the opportunity to share a bit about her college experience with the new WBOCS students.
Parents and guardians of the scholarship recipients also joined us at the award night, along with Yayasan Palung staff, Yudo Sudarto and Adi Mulia (members of the Yayasan Palung Board), staff from the National Park Bureau, staff from Tropenbos Indonesia (another local organization), the head of the Ketapang District Education Office, and staff from the Fauna & Flora International Indonesia Program.
Below, read about each new WBOCS recipient!
If you would like to help support this important program please consider making a charitable, tax deductible donation to our program here.
Iqbal Aryanto
Hello! My name is Iqbal Aryanto. I come from Negeri 3 Ketapang High School. I am currently 18 years old. I come from Ketapang Regency. The reason I joined the WBOCS program was not only because I needed money for my studies, but also, I have an interest in the field of conservation. This is reflected in the conservation organizations and social groups that I follow. The study program that I will enter is Law at the Faculty of Law, Tanjungpura University. The reason I chose this study program was because it matched my passion, so I wanted to continue it. Why should we care about orangutans? Because orangutans are ‘forest farmers’ who play an important role in the survival of other living things. Remember, we may get bored with the same things, but the young ones also have to see clear and real evidence to make change. The small steps we take now will have a big impact on the future. Thank you!
Maria Angela Chantika Putri
Hello everyone. My name is Maria Angela Chantika Putri. I’m usually called Chika. I am currently 17 years old. I am an alumnus of Negeri 1 Ketapang High School. I currently live in Ketapang. The reason I took this scholarship is because I want to give new value to the conservation of forests and orangutans. I also want to help my parents pay for college. I want to continue my education at the University of Tanjungpura, to be precise, at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences in the International Relations Study Program. I hope that in the future, with the knowledge I gain, I will benefit the conservation of orangutans and their habitats. From all aspects, we must support not only from a place of conservation, but we need support from all parties. We know that orangutans are currently in danger of extinction, therefore they need all of our support. Let’s together preserve the forest. They need nature as a place to live, we also need nature as a place to live and make a home. Because both animals and humans need nature as a place to live, let’s work together to preserve nature for a better future. Salam Lestari!
Noni
My name is Noni. I am 19 years old. I live in Penjalaan Village, Simpang Hilir District, Kayong Utara Regency. I am an alumnus of Negeri 3 Simpang Hilir High School. The reason why I joined the WBOCS scholarship program was first, I wanted to continue my education to a higher level. Second, I was very interested in this program because this program is a place for me to gain knowledge about orangutan conservation and nature conservation so that I can provide understanding and awareness to the wider community about the importance of preserving forests and conserving orangutans. I will be a student at Tanjungpura University and the major I have chosen is the Department of Forestry. I chose to major in forestry because studying forest science is my passion. My goal is become a forest conservation expert. Why do we care about orangutans? First, orangutans are an umbrella species that are expected to help and protect other species. Second, to preserve tropical forests, and third, orangutans are endangered animals. For that, let us together preserve nature and orangutan habitat. Salam Lestari! Salam Conservation!
Elin Saputri
Salam Lestari. My name is Elin Saputri. I am currently 19 years old. I come from Negeri 1 Sungai Laur High School and live in Riam Bunut Village. The reason I joined WBOCS was because I wanted to continue my education to a higher level. I really love nature, and I want to contribute to Yayasan Palung both physically and mentally. I will study at the University of Tanjungpura, in the forestry study program. Why should we care about orangutans? Because orangutans are endemic animals that only exist in Borneo and Sumatra, and help in forest growth. Currently, humans are destroying nature and their habitats. Therefore, let’s work together to conserve and preserve nature. Salam Lestari!
Galih Triyoga Putra
My name is Galih Triyoga Putra. I am 18 years old. I come from Sandai District, Ketapang Regency. I am an alumnus of Negeri 1 Sandai High School. I joined WBOCS because I wanted to continue my education to a higher level and wanted to know about life in forestry. I chose the Department of Forestry at Tanjungpura University, Pontianak. The reason I chose it was that I wanted to study forestry sciences that would be useful for the future. The population of orangutans is decreasing, therefore orangutans should be protected so that the population of living things is balanced. My only message is to take care of the environment. Salam Lestari!
Rianti Sandriani
My name is Rianti Sandriani. I am originally from Sejahtera Village, Sukadana District, Kayong Utara Regency. I am 17 years old and I am an alumnus of 2 Sukadana High School. The reason I joined WBOCS is because I want to continue my education to a higher level and through this WBOCS scholarship I can become a person who has a high dedication to the world of conservation and environmental preservation. I chose the Department of Forestry, Faculty of Forestry at Tanjungpura University. The reason I chose the forestry major is because of my interest and talent in environmental preservation and conservation. In addition, I want to learn the sciences and practices that exist in forestry. Why should we care about orangutans? Orangutans are forest farmers and have an important role in dispersing seeds in the forest. Orangutans are also endemic animals protected by law whose existence is threatened with extinction, and we must protect and preserve them. A message from me, as a member of the young generation: let’s protect the forest and orangutans for the sake of survival in the future. Salam Lestari! Salam Conservation!
