Asa Widiastomo

Madium, Indonesia

College of Biological Sciences, Sophomore

I grew up in a small city in the western part of East Java, Indonesia, called Madiun with my parents and three little sisters. I spent my junior year of high school at Hackley School, NY, as an exchange student and came to the University of Minnesota in 2007 as a freshman.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a doctor. However, I found myself not being comfortable around an opened body. As I still want to work in the health care field, I researched for some other options and genetics caught my attention. I decided to go to the University of Minnesota because it is one of the best research schools in the nation, including its research on genetics and cell biology.

The beauty of the U is not only its landscape, but also its diversity. I am an active member of the Indonesian Student Association, but I also want to step out of my comfort zone by getting involved in several multicultural groups, such as International Friendship Group Program and Small World Coffee Hour. With these programs I get opportunities to learn different cultures from all over the world. I am also a member of the University Women’s Chorus. I love singing!