Theme: Solve for X

What happens when someone tells a child, “You’re no good”? Why does “na nana nananana” make a hit song? How could positive thinking possibly make you anxious? Just as there are many ways to solve the same math equation, our speakers take many routes to arrive at their answers. Join us for our annual conference featuring talks by students, teachers and alumni. Expect more than a showcase of speakers. This is the time for you to engage with their ideas, ask questions, and continue discussions long after the last light snack has been consumed.

Jakarta Intercultural School
No.33 Jalan Terogong Raya
Cilandak, Jakarta Raya, 12010
Indonesia

Adam Salem

Student + pianist

Adam was born in Dubai in 2007. His family moved to England and then Korea before coming to Jakarta, where he is in 6th grade at JIS. This is only his second time playing the piano onstage in front of an audience.

Aleka Bilan

Counselor + global nomad

As a counselor, Aleka helps teenagers navigate cross-cultural transitions and interactions. As a parent, raising her own children overseas has meant reconciling the difficulties with the benefits of a cross-cultural childhood. She hopes that her own kids, as well as those she counsels, will go on to reach across cultural divides and help to bridge them.

Ashley Soebroto

Student + aspiring journalist

A part-time coffee fanatic, Ashley is a 16-year-old student whose passions range from reading to community service. Having been a JIS student since the start of her academic life, she knows the community better than many others. She hopes to go on to pursue an education in mass communications and international relations.

Beata Mirecka-Jakubowska

English teacher + educational project designer

An experienced English teacher, Beata believes in educating the whole child and equipping students with lifelong learning skills. She designs projects that incorporate the newest technology and includes opportunities for collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving and service learning. Most of all, she loves interacting with students of many cultures and listening to their stories. It keeps her young!

Collin Junus

Student, artist, musician

Having been in love with art and music his whole life, Collin is a 13-year-old aspiring activist. At age 3, he lifted up a pencil and started sketching, and he expanded his interest in music at age 7, compiling bits of notes into chords and composing melodies. In the future, Collin hopes to improve music education for Jakarta’s youth.

Danielle Fernandes

Student + aspiring architect

With interests that lie in architecture, urban design, and gardening, Danielle believes that architecture is much more than load-bearing walls and bricks. She envisions a future in which structures and buildings can benefit their occupants, motivating students to learn and patients to engage in the process of self-healing and recovery.

Farheen Shamdasani

Student + creative arts enthusiast

With a passion for creative arts and a love for learning, Farheen is a student leader with an interest in the science of human interactions. Whether it be from drama or music, the joy she obtains from performing lies in the fact that art is open to interpretation, and it’s always interesting to see what unintended messages get communicated to the audience.

Halle Richards

Student + performer

Halle has an immense love of the arts, including cinematography, writing and performing. She was born in the small city of Perth in Scotland, but has lived in Jakarta since she was 2 months old. Like many teenagers, she is exploring who she is as well as who she wants to be. She recently experienced an epiphany during this ongoing process of discovery.

John Davey-Hatcher

Choral and musical director

A retired opera singer, John has performed in ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and groups such as the San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists, to name a few. He has been a voice teacher, choral director and musical-theater director for 30 years. He loves to help people realize their potential as performers. John believes that, if you can talk, you can sing!

Julian Fernandez

Student + explorer of cultural expression

An avid reader, prolific cinephile, and music-lover, Julian has been studying cultural expression within and outside school. He has presented two TEDx talks, both in his previous school in Argentina, where he also won a biology award. Flash forward to now, and Julian has expanded his horizons to explore debate, athletics, philosophy, literature and film.

Piotr Jakubowski

Marketing and branding consultant

Born and raised a third-culture kid in Indonesia, Piotr is a brand and marketing practitioner growing his understanding of people and their behavior. He built the GO-JEK brand into a household name in Indonesia and now advises brands and startups on building purpose-driven narratives to tell their stories. He is also a published street photographer.

Sadhvika Viswanath

Student + Bharatanatyam dancer

A Bharatanatyam dancer since age 8, Sadhvika is now an International Baccalaureate Diploma student who enjoys a wide range of activities. She is an avid reader and a Model United Nations enthusiast. She hopes to pursue this classical Indian dance further in the future, but is planning to study economics and industrial engineering at university.

Toby Darmawan

Student + magician

Having practised magic for five years, 17-year-old Toby questions the boundaries imposed by reality. He believes that reality exists only in the eyes of the beholder, and he is intent on bringing people experiences of wonder, amazement and awe. Toby is the leader of the Magic Club at JIS.

Tom Bartlett

Teacher + actor

Tom has a fondness for diving into rabbit holes. He has spent 30 years in the classroom and on the stage encouraging curious kids — that’s his day job. He debuted at 12 as George Washington and recently appeared as Coach Bolton in ‘High School Musical’ at JIS. It’s the intersection of storytelling and learning that’s his never-ending rabbit hole.