Growing up in Bengkalis Regency, a rural area in Riau, Indonesia, Ashela Risa developed a deep awareness of the challenges faced by underserved communities. She became passionate about public health when she joined Indonesia Mengajar as an education improvement facilitator in Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara. There, she saw that the issue of public health goes beyond physical health—intersecting with education, economics, and culture. The programme exposed her to pressing public health issues such as stunting, child marriage, gender-based violence, and limited access to sexuality education.
Because of this programme, she recognised the critical role of community engagement in public health. She co-founded Sentral Muda Bestari (Semesta) in 2020—a youth-led organisation dedicated to addressing climate, educational, and health inequalities in Bengkalis. What began as a small group of five members has now grown into a team of 20.
"One of my main goals is to fill the gaps in Bengkalis, particularly in education. If people here don’t have access to IELTS preparation, I want to provide them with that opportunity,” Ashela shared.
One of its flagship programmes enables members to participate in Environmental Conservation Education Training in Ube City, Japan, sponsored by CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations), to learn about climate solutions.
Even though she was active in her community and was doing good work, she felt a strong urge to further her studies. The UK had long been a dream destination for her—initially inspired by books about Agatha Christie, Harry Potter, and Sherlock Holmes, and later by a defining lesson in her undergraduate epidemiology class: the story of John Snow and the cholera outbreak in 1854. How John Snow used a scientific approach to reveal that cholera was actually caused by bacteria in contaminated water from a public pump. This story profoundly shaped her aspirations to study public health in the UK.
