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Next up to tell their stories are the National Alumni for 2020 - Jess, Nat and Jeff!
Jessica Tattiana
National Alumni
Conferences Attended:
Hungary (2011) - student
Maastricht, The Netherlands (2012) - student
Taiwan (2014) - Alumni
Portugal (2015) - Alumni
In 2011, my high school (Cita Hati Christian Senior School) decided to participate in CEI and invited around 8 students, known as delegates, to join the conference in Hungary. The school has been introduced to CEI the year before as Indonesia hosted CEI 2010.
I was selected to represent my school and with several of my good friends, we started being involved in brainstorming ideas, jotting down plans, and eventually working on our environmental project. I remembered our project involves researching about mangroves as an approach to mitigate flood risk and planting seeds in a nearby mangrove plantation.
Also, for months we visited and help educate our peers and even kids from other schools about flood risk and preventative measures that we can start from home, this would include recycling: being mindful of where we throw our trash.
After executing the project for perhaps one school year, we finally arrived in Hungary! I remembered we were greeted at the airport and went on a road trip to Debrecen. We arrived really late at night, but even during out wait at the lobby, I saw crowds of people communicating in different languages, and at that very moment, there were kids my age saying hi to me and were oh so very friendly with me! Ever since then, I knew that I will make long lasting friendships in CEI and that the week-long events will be a fun one. All of that were true.
One week of the conference felt like 2 days! I was so happy and so excited the whole time and made so many friends. I get to learn environmental issues and creative ways to work around it from brilliant students from around the world. I get to see cultural performances and taste snacks from place I have never even been to. Leaving the conference was filled with tears (cried like this 4 times to be exact).
Since the first CEI, I participated three more times, twice being an alumni. You can say that there is a big place in my heart for CEI and for the people involved. So, to all of you, a big rainbow hug from me and I really hope to see you all soon. I hope that we all can thrive through the pandemic and once all of this is over, we can actually have rainbow hugs instead of virtual ones.
Natasha Njotowidjojo
National Alumni
Conferences Attended:
Hong Kong (2007) - Student
Scotland (2009) - Student
Indonesia (2010) - Student
Taiwan (2014) - Alumni
I first joined CEI in Hong Kong, heard about it through my science teacher at school who is a member of the CEI board. I am very thankful for the opportunity and the experiences, as well as friends I made from attending my very first conference. I joined two other conferences as a student, and once as an alumni. It has been a thrill to be a part of the conferences throughout the years with different roles, to grow and learn from the board, fellow alumni and the delegates
Jeff Yeo
National Alumni
Conferences Attended:
Aalborg, Denmark (2008) - Student
Indonesia (2010) - Student
Maastricht, The Netherlands (2012) - Student
Oregon, USA (2017) - Alumni
I first met Dan at an ETIC conference who introduced me to CEI conference in 2008. Having to grow up loving the environment which was particularly rare when I was young, I wanted to help my community and environment as best as I can. I want to help and guide younger generation to help the environment as it can be as easy as sorting your garbage or raising people’s awareness. The CEI conference is a good start in making a generation who care more about the environment, in fact the conference itself has affect me by choosing my life path and find my passion. I hope that the same could happen to others where this conference will be memorable and life changing, and then ultimately help change the world.
I would like to show youth delegates that there are many different ways of helping the environment and changing the world. Ways to help the environment come in many different forms and are not limited by size. Projects don’t have to involve the state or region, but can in fact just be a laboratory work or as simple as having social media that people can learn from. Ways to help the environment do not have to be expensive and grand. A simple report can contribute to science and can ultimately help the world to understand more about our nature. Creating laws or set of rules such as the Best Management Practice does not require a lot of money, it only require critical thinking and good analysis. A project does not have to be a technology, a bioreactor, building or engineering solutions, it can simply be a lifestyle or a simple daily action that we change that will help the world at an individual level (levels are based on Social Ecological Model).
How many of you attended the last conference held by CEI Indonesia in 2010? Make sure you register for this year's virtual conference, hosted by CEI Indonesia & CEI Alumni Team - find more information here
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