FEATURED STUDENT: An Interview with Sandra Nahdar

October 2007
by Laura Newman

Having worked for years as a journalist based in Jakarta, Indonesia, second–year student Sandra Nahdar saw his enrollment in OU’s Communication and Development Studies Program as a natural extension of his previous experiences. Sandra likes to communicate with people and learn from others, but has observed that people in Indonesia rely on methods of communication that he feels are “authoritarian,” “bureaucratic,” and difficult for people to understand. Says Sandra, “Communication is the core of life, so I thought ‘Why don’t I use my communication skills to help people?’” Sandra first worked in public radio in Padang, hosting an English’ language program called “The English Patient” which focused primarily on local social issues ranging from flooding to teen pregnancy. This experience was particularly meaningful for Sandra, as it provided a forum in which locals could voice their opinions on important issues while practicing their English. After working in public radio, Sandra became an assistant correspondent for an Australian newspaper based in Jakarta, where he worked until he decided he wanted to go to graduate school.

Choosing the CommDev program was not a difficult decision for Sandra, as he felt it was the ideal program to help him to learn how to use communication as a tool for social change. “It’s an amazing program,” he says, “because you get two fish at the same time – you learn about communication, while learning about development and the people at the same time. What other program offers this kind of opportunity?” It is here at OU that Sandra first began to explore his culture through an academic lens. He is currently researching what he refers to as “Dakwah–tainment,” the use of Islamic sermons and other forms of religious communication to promote pro–social messages. Sandra spent his summer interviewing Muslim leaders throughout Western Sumatra, Sandra found that Islam is now being taught not just to inspire someone to live religiously, but also socially or, as Sandra puts it, with a focus on both the here and the hereafter. He also already presented his preliminary findings at several conferences, including the 2006 Global Fusions Conference in Chicago.

Sandra has also helped enrich the diversity of the OU campus through his involvement in Indonesian cultural events. As the vice–president of Permias, the Indonesian Students Association, he has organized an Indonesian movie festival, a badminton competition, and traditional Indonesian dinners. OU’s Saman Dance Troupe, which performs the traditional “dance of a thousand hands,” is also one of Sandra’s creations and he has logged tens of hours rehearsing complex dances with the group and performing around Athens at the International Students Street Fair and the Spring Into Southeast Asia Festival, to name a few. And let’s not forget Sandra’s perhaps most colorful achievement; being crowned “Miss Relay for Life” at an Relay for Life Drag Queen contest in Athens intended to raise funds for cancer patients! (Sandra entered the contest with Team Semangat - semangat means "spirit" - which joined Relay for Life that Year.) In his spare time, Sandra serves as the informal photographer for the CommDev department and has taken over 8,000 photos since he arrived in Athens. After graduating, Sandra hopes work on strategic communication planning for a community–based organization in Western Sumatra.

Source:
http://www.ohio.edu/commdev/Featured-Student.cfm