Lenny shares her struggle in pushing the Northern Territory (NT) education system that in turn sees her son becomes the youngest student studying medicine in the territory and how Indonesian cultural values play a vital role in her children's character education.
In Indonesia, there's a saying that the fuller the rice grain, the lower it bows––a reminder to stay humble. Lenny lives by this wisdom as she raises her two high-achieving children, Peter and Eva Susanto.
Peter graduated from high school at 14 and entered medical school at 15, becoming the youngest student in the Northern Territory. He was named the NT Young Australian of the Year in 2024 and the NT UNICEF Australia Young Ambassador in 2025.
But academic achievement isn't everything for his mum Lenny.
The East Java native holds a Bachelor of Education with honours, a Master of Education, and a postgraduate certificate in gifted education, which she pursued specifically to support her children.
We also implement Indonesian culture--which we believe is very good.Lenny
She raises her children the way traditional Indonesian families do. She lives with her mother, spends as much time as possible with her kids, and even turned down promotions to focus on family.
From birth, her children grew up speaking Indonesian, Javanese, Mandarin, and Hokkien. On trips to Indonesia, Lenny takes them to orphanages and impoverished neighbourhoods to teach them gratitude.
Listen to the full coversation with Lenny to know more.
