Muhammad Raiyan Fajri is a passionate business student and social entrepreneur, dedicated in promoting environmental sustainability and equal rights for people with hearing disability in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. In 2020, he partnered up with Yale-NUS through the Chili Padi Academy to create a recycling community for youths. Through his involvement, he was able to connect his neighborhood with the local waste management center and teach neighborhood members on how to manage household wastes. His interest in environmental sustainability later led him to co-founding Bisca Innovation in 2022, a food startup that specializes in making high-calcium biscuits from eggshell waste. While doing so, he collaborated with a special education center based in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where he provided culinary training and employment to youths with hearing disabilities. Currently, he is pursuing his undergraduate degree in business at Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia, but he has also studied for one semester as an exchange student at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Through his passion and collaboration in entrepreneurship, Muhammad hopes to promote environmental sustainability and workplace inclusivity.
“Working with young people has given me diverse perspectives of what life is like for different people. It helps me understand that some people experience challenges that others do not. As the co-founder of Bisca Innovation, I have collaborated with youths who experience hearing disabilities and worked together with them to create meaningful business partnerships. Apart from providing them with employment opportunities, I also strive to motivate them into believing that their ‘disability’ should not be something that hinders them from gaining the ‘ability’ to get a good life. The energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity that I receive each day has always been an enriching part of my journey as a business student and entrepreneur. I believe that our youths today will be our future tomorrow, which is why it is significant that we help improve the well-being of our youths to change the world today for a better tomorrow.”