Kinsey and her husband moved from London to Jakarta in 2025. At first, it was something of a culture shock.
“The culture is super, super different and for someone that's worked their whole life in a more kind of western individualistic environment, it's taken a little bit of time and it's continued to take time for me to get used to the working environment here.”
Kinsey spent four months writing her first book. While the process kept her busy, it didn’t take long for boredom and loneliness to creep in.
“I still had a lot of time on my hands, and I was like, ‘Oh, what am I going to do with this time?’,” she said.
“In an attempt to relieve some of that anxiety, I started getting connected with expat groups, helping out with certain charities, and attending different events. One day, it just hit me ‘Does RMIT have a presence here?’.”
Kinsey played a central role in establishing the chapter, helping to bring together what was already an active community into the RMIT Alumni Indonesia Chapter. It started with a WhatsApp group and now, as chapter lead, she plays a greater role in organising informal networking events right through to panel discussions.
The chapter’s first event was held in late 2025, and the next gathering was in May 2026.
“That first event involved a lot of work in terms of just reaching out to alumni and I was very active on LinkedIn trying to connect with them, and then trying to get them to come to the event because it's just something that's pretty new, so we do need time for people to get engaged,” she said.
“We're trying to make sure that we get the community together and make it really feel like a community as well.”
Kinsey started her role as an Advisor in Management Consulting with the global advisory firm PwC in December last year, leading consulting engagements across Southeast Asia and beyond to support clients on a range of workforce-related issues. Although she is now busier, she said her involvement in the alumni chapter has improved both her professional life and her experience living in Indonesia.
“For me, being involved in the chapter has helped me feel more at home in Indonesia, and I hope others can feel the same,” she said.
“We can build a community where everyone can connect over a chat, over a few drinks, and meet fellow alumni and school leaders when they visit, and just feel like you are part of something bigger that you can always turn to for support.”
