Alumni Profile
Sari Wulandari teaches English at the Baitul Izzah Islamic Middle School, a private junior high school in Nganjuk, East Java. Prior to this, she created and delivered Character Building courses at Budi Mulia Dua Yogyakarta Elementary School, a private school founded by one of Indonesia’s key Islamic leaders, Amien Rais. Sari was the recipient of the Teacher of the Year award for 2023 from the Association for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia (TEFLIN).
Sari is also a member of the Culture, Arts and Sport Council of the Aisyiyah women’s network in Nganjuk Regency. Moreover, since 2024, Sari has served as the chairperson of the Universitas Negeri Malang Alumni Association Nganjuk District Branch. This Association has conducted a webinar series on the Six Basic Literacies.
Sari participated in the AIMEP in 2014. After returning from the AIMEP, she attended a 1.5-year Teacher Training program at Hokkaido University of Education in Japan (2015–17) and founded the Hokkaido University of Education Alumni Association in Indonesia. Upon her return to Nganjuk, Sari began teaching Qur’an recitation to senior citizens and developed community-based literacy activities through the Traveling Books program and Read Me a Story, a virtual reading aloud program, with the then Australian Consul-General in Surabaya, Fiona Hoggart, volunteering as a guest reader in one of its series.
She has also authored educational comics for children promoting cultural preservation, including Bakpia: The Signature Food of My City, Tempe: Healthy and Nutritious, Mataram Canal: The Clever Sultan, and Pasar Wage (Wage Market): The Heritage Market.
In 2021, Sari initiated the See the World series, a virtual program which promotes English learning and interculturalism among teenagers. She is once again collaborating with Australian AIMEP alumnus Nasim Zereka as well as volunteers from Japan, the USA, and Egypt, fostering awareness of the positive aspects of other cultures. She continues to run this program annually and is always looking for volunteers to participate!
Sari is also a member of the Culture, Arts and Sport Council of the Aisyiyah women’s network in Nganjuk Regency. Moreover, since 2024, Sari has served as the chairperson of the Universitas Negeri Malang Alumni Association Nganjuk District Branch. This Association has conducted a webinar series on the Six Basic Literacies.
Sari participated in the AIMEP in 2014. After returning from the AIMEP, she attended a 1.5-year Teacher Training program at Hokkaido University of Education in Japan (2015–17) and founded the Hokkaido University of Education Alumni Association in Indonesia. Upon her return to Nganjuk, Sari began teaching Qur’an recitation to senior citizens and developed community-based literacy activities through the Traveling Books program and Read Me a Story, a virtual reading aloud program, with the then Australian Consul-General in Surabaya, Fiona Hoggart, volunteering as a guest reader in one of its series.
She has also authored educational comics for children promoting cultural preservation, including Bakpia: The Signature Food of My City, Tempe: Healthy and Nutritious, Mataram Canal: The Clever Sultan, and Pasar Wage (Wage Market): The Heritage Market.
In 2021, Sari initiated the See the World series, a virtual program which promotes English learning and interculturalism among teenagers. She is once again collaborating with Australian AIMEP alumnus Nasim Zereka as well as volunteers from Japan, the USA, and Egypt, fostering awareness of the positive aspects of other cultures. She continues to run this program annually and is always looking for volunteers to participate!
Program Highlights
The AIMEP really opened my mind! It was very interesting and inspiring to see, for example, how Muslims in Australia as a minority are able to maintain their identity, practise their faith, and respond to stereotypes. Personally, coming from a country where Muslims are the majority, it provided me with a lesson in openness and tolerance. This experience also opened my eyes to the fact that being a Muslim in Indonesia is a blessing, with luxuries and priviledges.
After participating in the program, I have become more open and can more easily associate with people from diverse backgrounds. Professionally, I have gained a broader network after meeting with the inspiring individuals involved in the AIMEP program. I also felt encouraged to be more productive, especially when we established interest-based communities amongst alumni, which has made international collaboration easier. I experienced this during an online cultural exchange collaboration I initiated in Ramadan 2021 with Nasim Zereka, an Australian AIMEP alumnus. During the program, students, teachers, and several alumni were taken on a virtual tour of the Rahma Mosque in Sydney, where stories were shared about the atmosphere of Ramadan in Australia. In the future, I hope to be able to build an Australia-Indonesia Bridge School program involving educational institutions affiliated with AIMEP alumni in both countries.
After participating in the program, I have become more open and can more easily associate with people from diverse backgrounds. Professionally, I have gained a broader network after meeting with the inspiring individuals involved in the AIMEP program. I also felt encouraged to be more productive, especially when we established interest-based communities amongst alumni, which has made international collaboration easier. I experienced this during an online cultural exchange collaboration I initiated in Ramadan 2021 with Nasim Zereka, an Australian AIMEP alumnus. During the program, students, teachers, and several alumni were taken on a virtual tour of the Rahma Mosque in Sydney, where stories were shared about the atmosphere of Ramadan in Australia. In the future, I hope to be able to build an Australia-Indonesia Bridge School program involving educational institutions affiliated with AIMEP alumni in both countries.
