Of the many cultural organizations on campus, the Persatuan Mahasiswa Indonesia di Amerika Serikat, is unique in bringing Indonesian culture to UK.

The association, otherwise known as “Permias,” is a national organization that translates to Indonesian Students in America, and has been on UK’s campus since 2015.

The president of the association is sophomore Firas Sofyan.   

“The Association was started a while ago, but stopped last year when I was a freshman when I said, ‘Hey, why not now? We should start it up again.’ So here we are now,” Sofyan said.

A mix of international students and second generation students, as well as some UK athletes, make up the club.

“We are all close together, like family and a small community, always giving support,” said Nining Sutardjo, the organization’s adviser.

The organization focuses on  getting the word out, promoting Indonesian culture and providing support for their members.

“Mainly we just talk about our future plans. Right now it’s mostly peer promoting,” Sofyan said. 

In addition to promoting, the association is also involved with international festivals. These festivals include dancing, food and other performances related to Indonesian culture. One of these is Indonesian Focus, which will bring a weekend of Indonesian culture to campus next semester.

The international conference will be a weekend of speakers and research presentations, meetings and Indonesian tradition and cultures.

The Association is attempting to bring more Indonesian international students to UK in hopes of promoting diversity.

“Most of our members are international students under scholarships and they are trying to get other international students to attend UK,” Sofyan said.

However, the association prides itself on being for everyone, not just Indonesian students.

“If you have a passion about learning new culture, you can join,” Sofyan said.