Peter Susanto, the youngest medical student at his university and a UNICEF Young Ambassador for the Northern Territory, has racked up an impressive list of achievements. How did Peter get to this point and how did he deal with being bullied because of his young age?
Despite juggling the demands of being a postgraduate medical student, Peter Susanto still makes time for the things he loves––playing piano, watching YouTube, cheering on Indonesia's badminton team, and reading novels. Yet his life journey is far from ordinary.
At 17, Susanto received the Northern Territory Young Australian of the Year 2024 award. The young man of Indonesian heritage graduated high school at 14 after skipping three grade levels, then started medical school at 15. Now 19, he's completed his Bachelor of Clinical Sciences with a perfect GPA (7 out of 7) and is pursuing postgraduate medical studies at Charles Darwin University.
Beyond the classroom, Susanto has also won first place in the 2019 National Australian Brain Bee Challenge and earned a bronze medal at the 2021 International Brain Bee Olympiad––Australia's first medal since 2015.
Community service also plays a central role in Susanto's life. Since 2015, he and his younger sibling have raised funds for various charities by selling Indonesian food. He now serves as UNICEF Young Ambassador for the Northern Territory.
Behind every decision in his academic journey, Susanto said, stand parents who advocated for his accelerated learning, supported him throughout his studies, and prioritised his wellbeing.
SBS Indonesian spoke to Peter Susanto to find out how he achieved all his accomplishments, the bullying challenges he faced in primary school as the youngest student, his family's role in his success, and his future plans to contribute to Indonesia and Australia.
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