2019 PIES participants

PIES director Greg Fealy with the 2019 PIES group at IALF in Jakarta in November 2018
The six PIES participants currently in Canberra are the second, and final, cohort of the third PIES program. They are (from left to right in the above photo):
Abdulloh Fuadi from UIN Mataram
Rizqa Ahmadi from IAIN Tulungagung
Wildani Hefni from IAIN Jember
Win Arifin Listyaningrum from IAIN Salatiga
Umi Najikhah Fikriyati from STI Blambangan
Shinta Dewianty from STAI Darul Arqam Muhammadiyah, Garut
The 2019 PIES participants who arrived in Canberra on 5 February were selected from a strong field of ninety applicants. Interviews of sixteen potential PIES participants took place in Jakarta on 26-27 August 2018 and MORA announced the results of the selection on 10 September. That gave the participants only a month before they had to return to Jakarta for 10 weeks English language and cultural training at IALF. Luckily, with the support of their families and their home institutions, all six successful applicants were able to take part in this very important first phase of the program.

The 2019 group with former PIES participants Rofhani and Muhammad Muntahibun Nafis
An important part of preparing for travelling to Canberra is a briefing about life in Canberra and studying at the ANU from former PIES students. On this occasion it was Rofhani and Muhammad Muntahibun Nafis who spoke to the PIES participants.