Exclusive! Maudy Ayunda Tells Her Activity Plan After Graduating Master's Degree

JAKARTA - June 2021, Maudy Ayunda has completed the Joint Degree Program (JDP), which is a combination of two postgraduate degree programs that students can take simultaneously at Stanford University. She shared her happy moment when she graduated from S2 at Stanford University which amazed netizens.

After studying for two years, Maudy finally got two postgraduate degrees at Stanford University at once. Maudy Ayunda graduated with an MBA and MA in education.

No need to wait long, after returning to Indonesia, Maudy immediately returned to the entertainment world. The girl who was born on December 19, 1994, starred in the film Losmen Bu Broto. Adapted from the popular Losmen series in the early 90s, Maudy took on the role of Jeng Sri.

The shooting of this film was done when Maudy was still in college. She specifically returned to Indonesia to shoot in Yogyakarta.

"I'm so happy to finally be back in Indonesia and the film Losmen Bu Broto is shown because this is indeed the project I've been waiting for. The shooting was a year or two ago. It's nice to be able to share the work that has been stored for a long time," Maudy said while talking to VOI in Senayan City, Central Jakarta, some time ago.

Not only acting, but Maudy also performed the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (OST) of Losmen Bu Broto with the song Pulang. This song was released November 18, in conjunction with the film premiere of Losmen Bu Broto in theaters. The song Pulang is a song composed by Maudy herself.

“A home is not a house and a home is a person. If we are comfortable and in love with someone, usually our home is with that person wherever he is. It describes the meaning of love in the family. Then, 'go home' as comfort in yourself, acceptance of yourself, by approaching our authentic selves to get to know ourselves better. Sri's journey at “Losmen Bu Broto” had ups and downs, conflicts with her parents, and others. From there, she managed to find herself and in my opinion, it was another version of going home,” explained Maudy Ayunda.

Maudy couldn't hide her happiness when she got an offer to sing an OST other than acting.

"Getting a project that is a complete package is fun, here I play the role of Jeng Sri. Jeng Sri has a very unique character and story. The second child in Mrs. Broto's family has a fun character, has internal conflicts, and is looking for her identity. In the film, Jeng Sri is a musician, of course, there must be a strong musical element. I was entrusted to produce and compose a song with Daniela who is also part of Sri's band," she said.

"I really enjoyed singing and acting, this enriched my experience. Actually, this OST was not discussed directly. What was discussed was that I had to compose a song for Sri's character. Because Sri can sing and compose songs, there must be a song involved with me. The OST will be discussed a little more later. It would be fun if there was also an OST that was sung by me," he added.

Maudy admitted that she was enthusiastic about working on the OST as a new challenge. Moreover, she also acts as a producer and composer.

"I'm happy, being challenged to create a song. I feel happy if there is a project where I am given a lot of creative medium. If a film has a lot of acting. Singing as well as acting, there have been several times for the OST too. But to compose a song for a film is an extra element that I can do in this film. It's really fun," she said.

As if without a break, after college Maudy immediately stepped on the gas to return to work. She wants to be an inspiration for women to millennial youth in a career and education.

"It is important for women to have choices, choices are not just about my job. Not only can I work, but I can also do this. Being a housewife is also a choice. Whatever the role, whatever we want to do, whatever the dream is for us, we have the right to pursue the dream," said Maudy Ayunda.

Starting an Education Business

Maudy Ayunda has proven that there is no limit to achieving a dream as long as you have the will and work hard to achieve it. She wants more and more young Indonesians to follow in her footsteps.

"I hope young people can see me from that point of view. Actually what I do is the fight for my choices. When I was in college, when I wanted to do Masters, when I took any project, it was because I was fighting for my choice. Young women out there are motivated to make their dreams come true," she said.

The achievement of a Master's degree will certainly not be wasted. Maudy's learning process has shaped her into a new human with new abilities. So what is Maudy's future career dream?

"So, film and music have become a hobby outlet for my passion. In the future, I will not take full time like I used to. I will have several other projects such as the education business that I will be involved in and start working on," she explained.

The experience of studying abroad, managing time to study and work in a foreign country make her loves Indonesia even more. Being away from home makes Maudy appreciating the little things that she had never paid close attention to before.

"During college, what I miss most is the warmth of family, the food, it's hard to miss everyone because I grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. Now that I'm back, I want to develop human capital. I realize that the progress of a country depends on the quality of its human beings," she said.

According to the majors taken, Maudy wants to develop education in Indonesia. "Because of that, I have a theory, a tendency to promote education. Human resources are the place where the biggest investment should be given. And that is what will build our country," she explained.

"It's not just education, it's more about mindset, openness, insight, and all that stuff. Hopefully, I can find a role that can help my dream come true," added this actress of Perahu Kertas.

Because of that, Maudy always considers the message in the films she stars in. "I really care about the message that you want to convey. The film of Losmen Bu Broto, for example, really elevates the power of women. Because it's actually Mrs. Broto and her daughters who run the inn. and Mbak Pur is either very brave to express opinions, and pursue their own dreams," she explained.

The character of Jeng Sri, played by Maudy, is very brave, against the status quo which is considered conventional or traditional. "She dared to step up for her own happiness. So the message is important in my opinion," she said.

The message is important to change the paradigm about women who eventually return to the kitchen and the mattress still haunts Indonesian society. Maudy, even the generations below her, are often questioned about their interest in high school and pursuing their dreams.

"I'm back to humanity. That every human being has the opportunity to develop themselves. Whether it's connected or not with their work later, whatever it is, it's the right of every human being. So the question is why do women have to go to high school? It's as if they think that women's functions are outside of brain development or intellectual development. I don't think that's true, no matter what role we have, we have a very big contribution," she explained.

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Maudy admits it is not uncommon to get questions like that. "Even women below me still get that question. Sometimes we need to see other people like if they can do it, I can also do it. If you think I have a role there, it makes me happy. At least it can be an inspiration for my friends," she said.

Education changed Maudy's mindset. After graduating with master's degree, the singer of the song Tiba Tiba Cinta Datang is wiser and more patient. "What's different after graduating from master's degree is that in the past I was still very structured about what I considered the most appropriate path to success and change. Now I'm more aware that change can be achieved through many paths. And sometimes the path is not as expected our planning," she said.

"In the past, I always thought that life should be like that, that's how it is structured. Now it's more about looking at what opportunities are there, what space is there and how to take advantage of those opportunities through various roles to give that positive role," concluded Maudy Ayunda.