Following my passion:

Indonesian Titik “Rosi” Rusmiati started her career long before even considering coming to Sweden to study. Once she found the Master’s Programme in Entrepreneurship at Uppsala University, she knew she could gain valuable perspectives and tools to implement in her business.

Working on her leadership skills through various programmes and internships all over the world gave Titik “Rosi” Rusmiati the knowledge she needed to lay the foundation for her business.

In 2019 she started building her social enterprise Femalepreneur.id, as a way to support women’s economic empowerment and close the gender equality gap in Indonesia.

– It’s a start-up company focusing on Indonesian women-owned enterprises through business acceleration programmes. I lead organisations and teach business and personal development, as well as scholarship hunting, Rosi explains.

Her engagement for women’s rights comes from her own experiences growing up in a poor village, seeing her mother struggle to provide for her four children while her father was absent most of her upbringing.

– My mother had to work really hard to ensure that we had enough money for food and clothes. I witnessed the patriarchy and my father preventing my mother from obtaining new knowledge, growth and happiness.

As a result, Rosi came to dedicate her life to supporting and empowering herself and other women in Indonesia.

Uppsala University met the urge to learn

Currently, Rosi’s company has reached more than 10,000 beneficiaries across Indonesia. She collaborates with governments, corporations and universities. Although her business had proven to be successful, Rosi still wanted to develop academically.

– I realised that to learn new concepts in the area, further studies in entrepreneurship at reputed international institutions were essential. I felt that I had not satisfied my urge to learn, and I planned to invest a lot in my education to build my career.

Rosi soon discovered Sweden, a country that she thought seemed to value sustainability and gender equality. She then carefully researched each university in Sweden that provided a business and entrepreneurship major.

– I found that the Master’s Programme in Entrepreneurship at Uppsala University met my requirements. It offered a holistic perspective of developing a venture, as well as business opportunities. Moreover, the university provides an ecosystem that enables students to have a more effective learning process, for example, an intensive curriculum, a mentorship programme, an internship programme, guest lecturing, interactive seminars, case discussions and various workshops, says Rosi.

Wants to help women out of poverty

After graduating from Uppsala University in 2022, Rosi went back to Indonesia to implement her new skills into her business.

– I got a lot of learning points while studying in Sweden, including how to run a business that can be sustainable by considering the economic, environmental and social impacts.

Rosi has great plans for the future and envisions her enterprise growing beyond the borders of Indonesia.

– I really want to continue helping other women out of poverty and grow as individuals. I believe that if they are empowered, they will have a chance to make decisions for their own lives, she says.

Do you have any advice for future Uppsala University students?

– Time goes by quickly, so use your time in Sweden efficiently. Don’t forget to network as much as you can. There are some business and start-up communities in Uppsala that could widen your sense of entrepreneurship. Also, try to explore by joining some student activities. I joined the Gotland Nation which helped me understand Swedish culture and find friends for life!

Learn more about the Master’s Programme in Entrepreneurship at Uppsala University.