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span class="inline inline-left">Youth icon Alanda Kariza says beauty firmly stays both in her mind and appearance.

“Pretty much, I’m just a college girl. But in my spare time, I love to write and do a bit of this and that,” the 21-year-old says.

Alanda’s love of the written word is clear. She published her first teen novel, Mint Chocolate Chip, in 2005 when she was just 14. She also released a collection of short stories, Vice Versa, in 2010.

Her latest work of non-fiction, Dream Catcher, was published in April this year. She also co-authored Pertama Kalinya! (First Time!), a collection of short stories and The Journeys 2, a collection of travel-related stories about Indonesia.

Her other work has also been published in various publications including Indonesian magazines Hai, GoGirl!, Kawanku and Provoke!.

Already a prolific writer, Alanda received a scholarship at Bina Nusantara International University, where she is expected to graduate with her degree in international business next semester.

Alanda is also a true community activist and an energetic young speaker who has shared her views and dreams on an international stage.

She said that her initial passion in co-mmunity activism was on environmental and education issues.

“I started to have this interest in co-mmunity activism after graduating from junior high school in 2006. But at that time, most NGOs wouldn’t receive my application to be a volunteer because their age minimum requirement was 18.

“I didn’t stop. At the time, my friends and I decided to form our own social community, which was called the Cure for Tomorrow,” said Alanda, referring to her organization that handled small projects such as collecting donations for Yogyakarta earthquake victims in 2006 as well as amplifying the “Stop Global Warming!” campaign. The organization is currently inactive.

“We plan to re-launch it, possibly early next year. We will treat it as an umbrella organization for our Indonesian Youth Conference,” she said the first daughter of Firman Maulana and Arga Tirta Kirana.

The Indonesian Youth Conference (IYC) is a youth empowerment forum that she initiated in 2009, after she participated as an Indonesian representative at Global Changemakers events organized by the British Council and World Economic Forum in UK the same year.

IYC launched its first annual activity in 2010, encouraging young people between the ages of 15 and 21 to speak up, pursue their aspirations and follow their passions. Alanda claimed that IYC had directly impacted 3,000 young people through its main event, and about 50,000 youngsters through media and smaller events.

Alanda has also taken part in, among other things, the 2011 One Young World summit in Zurich and its most recent meeting in Pittsburgh, US, in October.

Despite the list of achievements she has established with her passion and hard work, Alanda refused to highlight her own accomplishments when introducing herself.

“When some organizers ask for my curriculum vitae to introduce me before I give a speech, I always say, ‘Please don’t’. I’m comfortable saying that I’m a university student, especially in front of young people … and that you don’t have to be somebody big to make a difference.

“Some may say that I look and sound so serious, but really, I’m not that serious,” Alanda said with a laugh. “I’d like people to see me as the girl next door who can do something.”

Alanda likes to encourage people, especially the youth, to do more in making changes for the betterment of their community and even the world.

“I started the activism thing on environmental and education issues. But now, I pretty much talk about anything that matters. I encourage youngsters to follow their passion, whatever it is. If you follow your passion and do something about it, you surely can make a change,” she added.

Alanda said that she realized she had a better opportunity to speak her mind. “Still, I started it all from zero. And anyone can do the same, even better, if they want.”

Alanda was named the youngest finalist of the CosmoGIRL! of the Year contest in 2006, received recognition as an ASHOKA Young Changemakers (2010), took home the IPA Social Innovation Entrepreneurship People’s Choice Award (2011) and was dubbed one of the most influential women in Indonesia by The Markeeters magazine (2011).

With such a long list of accolades, Alanda remains on the ground, supporting her fellow bright young people in stepping onto the world’s stage.

“If there’s any organization or company asking for young people like me, I have my list to show to them,” said Alanda, who along with fashion designer Stella Rissa, model Fitria Yusuf, singer Lala Karmela and photographer Andra Alodita appear in Lux soap’s latest ad Momen Berkilau (Dazzling Moment).

Last year, Alanda made waves by blogging about her mother, Arga, who was convicted of forgery in a case related to the now-defunct Bank Century. Arga is the former head of the bank’s corporate legal division.

Alanda cried over the fact that her mother was sentenced 10 years in prison, a longer sentence than to Robert Tantular, Bank Century’s former owner. Arga was convicted of having forged a document used by a trading company owned by businessman-turned-politician Muhammad Misbakhun to acquire credit from
the bank.

Alanda said that she saw the situation from two different angles.

“On one hand, I learned a lot. There were people I didn’t really know giving me their true support along the way. I’ve been disappointed by the system, but at the same time I have some people who really care.

“On the other hand, I’m not sad, but regret the fact that more people know me because of my writing on the blog. Meanwhile, I’ve done so much, and have a lot of achievements, that are all of a sudden, buried under the news on my mother,” she said, adding that she learned how to be a stronger and better person from her mother’s situation.

Despite the ups and downs of her life, Alanda has kept her dream of earning her bachelor’s degree in international business, continuing her education to a higher level and eventually building a school that fully supports its students’ activity outside school.

“I kind of struggled during my high school years in state high school SMA 82 Jakarta because I had so many activities besides studying at the school. It also happened to my model and athlete friends back then.

“So one day, I’d really love to establish a school that can accommodate students with such busy activities.”

— Photos Courtesy of Lux