The JHL (Jerry Hermawan Lo) Foundation Merah Putih Kasih awarded scholarships to 104 students of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), on December 13, 2024, at the DH Penny Building, Faculty of Agriculture, USU. These scholarships include tuition support of Rp1 million and a living allowance of Rp500,000 per month, provided until the students complete their studies, with a maximum duration of 8 semesters.
The event was attended by Prof. Dr. Ir. Elisa Julianti, M.Si. (Vice Dean III of the Faculty of Agriculture, USU), Ir. Diana Chalil, M.Si., Ph.D. (Head of the Master’s Program in Agribusiness), Riantri Barus, S.P., M.Si., M.P. (Secretary of the Master’s Program in Agribusiness), as well as Mr. Johan Sembiring and Mr. Marihot Gultom as representatives from the JHL Merah Putih Kasih Foundation. Additionally, the scholarship recipients also attended the event.
The JHL Foundation has long been active in various fields, particularly in humanitarian efforts, disaster management, and social assistance. Currently, the foundation focuses on education, specifically in the agricultural sector.
“In 2022-2023, we contributed significantly to food security initiatives. From this experience, we recognized the urgent need to support the farming sector. This nation’s food security remains vulnerable, while the potential for disasters can arise at any time. Therefore, it is essential for us to always be well-prepared, especially regarding food stocks. Given this reality, we must understand the importance of self-reliance in food management,” Johan explained.
He continued, “One crucial aspect that is often overlooked is encouraging agriculture graduates to directly engage in the agricultural sector. Hence, we want to motivate you, agriculture students, to take this field seriously and commit to exploring it. This is the promise you made when you chose to study at the Faculty of Agriculture, USU. We, the JHL Merah Putih Kasih Foundation, strive to instill this spirit and determination in all of you.”
Prof. Dr. Ir. Elisa Julianti, M.Si., Vice Dean III of the Faculty of Agriculture, USU, warmly welcomed the foundation's purpose and commitment to providing scholarships to students.
“This scholarship is highly valuable and offers exceptional benefits to the Faculty of Agriculture, especially its students. Through this support, they receive assistance for living expenses and tuition fees, which are rarely provided by other scholarship programs. We are very grateful that 104 students from the Faculty of Agriculture have been selected to receive scholarships from the JHL Merah Putih Kasih Foundation. With this scholarship, we hope the students will be more motivated to study diligently, no longer burdened by financial concerns. We deeply wish for you to focus on your education and successfully graduate on time,” said Prof. Elisa.
The event also included a scholarship contract signing session. One of the scholarship recipients read out the terms of the contract to all the attending recipients. Students were also given the opportunity to ask questions to the JHL Foundation regarding any unclear matters.
It is hoped that with this scholarship, the recipients from the Faculty of Agriculture will study more earnestly, eventually becoming the next generation contributing to Indonesia’s food self-sufficiency.
