Dana Hall School welcomes back Monica Oudang ‘97 as the She Sails opening keynote speaker

On April 30, 2021, Dana Hall welcomed alumna Monica Oudang ‘97 as the opening keynote speaker to the sixth annual She Sails event. In her opening session, Oudang reflected on her journey towards finding a career, instilling in listeners the importance of failure, resilience, and bravery, all of which pave the way for success.

Oudang serves as the Chairperson of Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa, a non-profit foundation based in Indonesia that aims to “restore dignity” in communities through assistive programming with local organizations. These programs include an education aid program, staple goods program, family meals program, merchant aid program, and meals for healthcare workers program.

She began this non profit through her job at Gojek, a digital payment technology company in Indonesia. In her role as Chairperson, Oudang “leads [her] team in advancing equal opportunities and helping to build more sustainable livelihoods for those who rely on a daily income.” 

Before starting at Gojek, Oudang had her own company. Not only was it doing well, her life felt relatively comfortable and fulfilling. One day, a friend of Oudang’s said to her, “I’ve known you for a while, and I know that you’ve always wanted to do something that can bring a revolutionary social transformation with technology. So, why don’t you join me in making a real impact on the lives of millions of people in Indonesia?” This inspiration drove her to create Gojek’s foundation, Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa. 

Oudang had many jobs she did not enjoy on her path to finding one she did. She encouraged her listeners to not think of these moments as failures, but rather as motivation to continue being curious. Oudang said, “we have all stumbled, fallen, and experienced setbacks… [but] life is a journey and learning is limitless… [and] grounded principles should lead your decisions in life.” Oudang also emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind, and taking life one step at a time, saying, “We have to be open to these lessons and we must walk with an open mind… this is not a sprint, this is a marathon… [and] our gut feeling is the GPS of our lives.”

Oudang shared that she often did not feel very successful, and found herself constantly comparing herself to her peers. Oudang vowed to no longer equate money with success. “having money is nice, but it does not mean you are successful,” she said. Instead, Oudang emphasizes the importance of “let[ting] your curiosity and moral compass lead the way” towards your individual success.

Now, Oudang has been able to transform the lives of people in South Asia, helping Gojek go global. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wealth gap has widened in Indonesia, but with her foundation, Oudang has been working towards creating a major shift, giving people technological and life skills in order to “survive and thrive in life.” 

In a Q & A after the presentation, Oudang left current Dana Hall School students with advice: “be curious, ask those questions, don’t be shy… the beautiful part of life is uncharted territory.” says Oudang. Oudang adds that a helpful technique is to embrace nervousness, and “to fight that fear is by pushing forward.” Her advice regarding making an impact in the world is that “it is all about capacity building; being a solution and talent incubator in trying to help these communities create solutions to their local problems” is key, concludes Oudang. 

Current Dana Hall School student Shayna Rothstein ‘21 was touched by Oudang’s inspiring words, saying that, “she gave me hope about making my career choice because now I believe I don’t need to find the right one the first time to do well in life.”

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