Formerly a mobile flower seller, this is the success story of a favorite elementary school principal in Surabaya

A few weeks ago social media was horrified by the virality of a group of Elementary School (SD) children going on a study tour to Japan. Apparently they were Istudex or International Student Exchange 2023 participants at SD Muhammadiyah 4 Pucang Surabaya (Mudipat). Apart from being known for its good quality, SD Mudipat is also known for its all-inclusive facilities and has become one of the favorite elementary schools in Surabaya.

Behind the school's success, there is the name Edy Susanto who is a pioneer in leading the school, in fact this is the second time Edy has served as the Head of the Mudipat School.

Despite his success today, it seems that Edy's path was not easy. Edy was born in a remote village of Karangsemi, Nganjuk Regency, East Java. Being born as the 4th child of 6 siblings made him an independent child. Edy admitted that when he was in elementary school he was active in herding goats up to junior high school.

"I started herding goats when I was in 3rd grade, at that time my parents wanted to practice independence, even when the dry season came I had to herd outside the village," recalled Edy Monday (3/7/23)

Edy only got to know Muhammadiyah when he was in high school, because he attended Muhammadiyah 1 Nganjuk High School. He admits that as a student he is active in extracurricular activities.

Odd Jobs 2 Years Before College

Edy admitted that to be able to go to school up to university, he could not expect more from his family, this was because his mother was only a seller of pecel rice and his father had retired. Edy had thought of moving to Jakarta but his mother would not allow him to, so he finally decided to go to Surabaya. In Surabaya, Edy stayed at the house of a relative who has a shop in the Wonokromo area. Seeing that the store's activities were quite busy, Edy decided to look for another job.

"Finally after that I worked selling flowers, riding bicycles from one order to another, I picked up flowers in the Asri Tropodo Wadung area," said Edy.

Not only selling flowers, to be able to go to college, Edy also works other odd jobs to fulfill his savings. Edy admits that he sells cloth, thanks to the cloth his savings are fulfilled and can be used to register for college.

Studying at UM Surabaya, Department of English

Before being accepted at UM Surabaya, Edy was rejected by the PTN he registered for. In 1990 Edy was accepted at UM Surabaya majoring in English. While being a student, Edy continued to carry out activities selling flowers. Edy also worked installing plaster while still a student. In the midst of his busy life as a working student, Edy remains active in the English Department Student Association. Before graduating from college, apparently Edy had worked at the November 10 High School. Edy graduated from UM Surabaya in 1995.

At that high school, because he was considered a diligent person, his teaching hours continued to grow. Edy admitted that when he became a teacher he still gave private lessons in the afternoon as an addition. Not only working in one place, Edy also taught at Wachid Hasyim Middle School. In 1999 Edy also worked at the T2KP NGO Project Poverty Alleviation in urban areas as a facilitator until 2001.

Furthermore, in 2003 Edy received an offer to teach at SD Muhammadiyah 4 (Mudipat) Pucang Surabaya. At Mudipat Edy teaches English with his first salary of 250 thousand. At school, Edy was active with school activities. At that year, Mudipat did not yet have an extracurricular band. Edy succeeded in being the first to initiate the extracurricular activities, because he had good musical abilities. Edy was also asked to coach. In 2006 he won an award as the youngest band record breaker at the Elementary School (SD) level.

Becoming a Principal with Many Awards

In 2010 Edy was appointed Deputy Principal of the School. Then in 2014-2018 he became Principal. During his tenure he revived school literacy, thanks to that in 2018 he was awarded the 1st winner in the best literacy at the city of Surabaya level.

In 2017 Edy also received an award as the best Principal in Surabaya. In the same year he was awarded an individual Class Action Research (PTK) competition organized by the Muhammadiyah Central Executive. In 2016 he also won 2nd place in the National Quality Culture Competition organized by the Ministry of Education.

At the end of his statement, Edy said that whoever is serious will definitely get it.

"One who always motivates, man jadda wajada. Whoever is serious will definitely get it, "concluded Edy.