Coming from a Filipino-Indonesian heritage, Carmelita has been exposed to cultural diversity and different education systems from an early age. These differences opened her eyes to see and reflect the impact that schooling and teachers have on an individual, which prepared her for the unique challenges and responsibilities at the German School Jakarta that she joined in 2012, taking care of our International Programme. 



Carmelita's professional journey led her through coaching, mentoring, interpreting, and teaching different age groups, and various positions in the field of education since 1995, mainly as an English teacher and debate coach, kindergarten coordinator, and secondary coordinator at private schools. She pursued her Master's in New Zealand, focusing on Education for curriculum development, ICT, and professional development to further her professional qualifications. Prior to working at the DSJ, she took a break from schools and was hired as an interpreter with education qualifications in training and educational programmes for local teachers and practitioners. 

At the DSJ, Carmelita has really enjoyed the challenges of bridging and bringing together different cultures while being able to exercise creativity and inspiration in her pedagogical approaches within the infrastructure of quality German Education. It has been rewarding to work in an institution that focuses on the child's well-being and education as the centre of their development and helping them explore and achieve their potentials. 

"I find joy in seeing the spark light in the eyes of children when they realize that they achieved more than their expectations. It is a privilege to be able to contribute to a positive impact in the community that we live in, in hopes for a ripple effect."

Outside school, Carmelita enjoys doing service in her communities, taking quiet time to reflect on life experiences and journaling, or just enjoying the sounds of nature with cups of strong black coffee. When she has the opportunity, she engages in learning more about Indonesian culture, travelling to new places and especially getting to know local batik patterns and cloths, as well as sings in the choir.