Bangkit Blog

A Story of Theofilus Arifin, Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 Graduate from Informatics Engineering, Universitas Surabaya What does it take to turn a quiet love for numbers into a career that impacts millions across languages and borders? For Theofilus Arifin (23), the answer was a mix of persistence, purpose, and one life-changing program. From his school days in Surabaya to building intelligent tools in a cutting-edge AI startup, Theo’s journey shows how curiosity, when paired with the right opportunities, can shape a future in technology. Before he was crafting multilingual AI assistants, he was simply a math-loving student who followed his interests into code. Then came Bangkit, and everything accelerated. A Love for Math Became Theo’s Gateway to Technology Born in Surabaya, Theo grew up in a family that valued hard work, prayer, and persistence over instant success. His parents, a small business owner and a homemaker who also helped run the family business, instilled in him the importance of ...

A Story of Alfi Zahra Hafizhah, Bangkit 2021 Graduate from Management Information Systems, Universitas Telkom What if your tech journey started not in a classroom but on a screen, through a Korean drama? For Alfi Zahra Hafizhah (25), a middle school obsession with K-dramas soon sparked a deep curiosity about futuristic technologies portrayed on screen. That unusual yet powerful curiosity set her on a path that would take her to a data analyst position at a top fintech company. In a world where most tech stories start with code, hers began with storytelling. As the only child of supportive parents who championed independence and higher education, Zahra carved her unconventional way into the tech world. Her quiet determination and drive to learn eventually led her to Bangkit, a transformative career readiness program initiated by Google. What she found there wasn’t just technical training but a network of passionate individuals, clarity of purpose, and a professional future she never ima...