Adriana Sembiring
Adriana Sembiring is a proud mother of two, living in Virginia since 1999. She earned her bachelor degree in Psychology from the University of Indonesia. Born in Kabanjahe, she immigrated to the United States in 1995 to pursue a higher education with her husband, Julio Manik, and choose to apply for permanent residency but never forgets her roots in Indonesia. How can she forget, she’s been involved in many cultural activities since her elementary school in Pabatu, North Sumatera.
While covering local and world events as a journalist for Voice of America for the more than 10 years, she realized that unlike immigrants from most countries, Indonesian has not established one Indonesian American ethnic group due to the fact that Indonesia is one of the most ethnically diverse population in the world. Many Indonesian ethnic groups act as cultural ambassadors to enrich people who live in their areas, including an organization called Parsadaan Bangso Batak (PBB), which she’s been part of since its inception.
Knowing that cultural heritage can provide a sense of unity and belonging in this ever changing globalization, and allows us to better understand ourselves and the history of where we come from, Adriana embarked in a new journey with Saroha to preserve North Sumatera’s cultural heritage for her children and to promote them to the American.