Pasha Agoes

Pasha Agoes is a first year Communication Studies MA student Emphasis in Organizational Communication. He is from Indonesia, but his first language was English. He learned to speak it when his parents were working on MA degrees at the University of Buffalo in 1980-82. He grew up in Indonesia, but returned to the United States in 1995 and completed high school in Buffalo, New York when his mother came to get her PhD. He stayed in Buffalo for his BA in Communication Studies. After graduation, he worked in Indonesia in Public Relations before working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as an employee and later with USAID and other government and non-profit organizations as an independent consultant. He has published two books in Indonesia. “Subtle Tragedies: Essays about Work and Love” in English in 2006 and “Total Enlightenment: The Shortest Book on Success You’ll Ever Read” in Indonesian in 2008.

Agoes had to skip the book tour for “Total Enlightenment” to begin his studies at UNI this fall. He chose UNI because of the friendly and professional communication he received from the faculty and staff. His current research is in emacipatory education in classroom settings. This means, he says, “everybody is already a genius in something, you just have to bring it out.” He hopes to be an internationally published author and motivational speaker. His work as an independent consultant has already lead to motivational speaking opportunities.

Attending school in both Indonesia and the United States, Agoes prefers the dialogue and questioning between instructors and students present in American schools. Although the methods are beginning to change, he says Indonesian schools have four tenets: come, sit, listen, and be silent. He says the US system requires logic, critical thinking, and understanding versus the rote learning he experienced in Indonesia. Agoes continues to write. He also meditates and swims to provide balance in his life. He and his wife, also from Indonesia, have a one year old daughter.