Meet Neva Hidajat

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Neva Hidajat. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Neva below.

Hi Neva, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

When I think about the progress humanity has made it isn’t hard to be optimistic. Just think about how less than 20 years ago smartphones didn’t really exist, at least not at the same level of utility and connectivity they bring today. When you start measuring things by how far we’ve come rather than how much farther we need to go, you start having a brighter outlook on the latter. You realize that, “wow, if we can accomplish this much we can certainly accomplish more”. Some people might ascertain optimism to naivety, but I like having a bit of innocent trust in a better future – it helps me have faith in putting together the building blocks towards that north star.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Hi, my name is Neva Hidajat, I’m 19 years old and currently a student at Stanford University studying Management Science & Engineering, with a deep interest in how the private sector can better steward the environment.

I’ve lived in small towns my whole life, from Ames, Iowa (where I was born) to Lake Arrowhead, California (where I grew up). I owe it to the people in these communities for showing me how local action can have wide ripple effects. On the other side of the world, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, some of the most important people in my life (aka my grandparents) exposed me to an Indonesian culture and heritage that I’m deeply proud to be a part of.

When I came to Stanford in the fall of 2023, the question was: what am I uniquely positioned to do?

With time, everything converged. As a Sophomore studying MS&E I get to take classes that will prepare me to succeed as a leader and strategist while keeping impact at heart. And, my personal connection to southeast Asia drives me to pursue work that will uplift the region. I knew I wanted to bring together my conviction in business as a vehicle for social impact with my belief in Southeast Asia’s future.

So, I started the Stanford Southeast Asia Business Conference (SEABC and visit stanfordseabc.com) in 2024, to connect Southeast Asia’s current and emerging business leaders. At SEABC, we foster meaningful dialogue between Silicon Valley and Southeast Asia’s current and future business leaders. This year, my team and I curated panels based on topics we felt were pertinent to the region’s growth: investments, blockchain, and creative economic activity. Through this initiative, I wanted to 1) highlight growth opportunities and 2) bring visibility to the southeast Asian diaspora already making waves around the world. This year, I proudly reflect on the success of our event, bringing 12 amazing speakers from throughout southeast Asia and Silicon Valley to the 250 people who came to our conference seeking knowledge, community, and growth.

What’s next for me? I’m excited to continue pursuing ways I can have a positive impact – particularly at the crossroads of stimulating economic development through sustainable business practices. We’ll see where this passion takes me! Feel free to connect and reach out if you’d want to collaborate on something.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Accountability. Whether it was with myself or with others, I pride myself on doing what I say I will do. Usually it’s a lot easier when there’s someone else holding you accountable. But we don’t always have that. So remember, you also owe it to yourself to stay true to the things you tell yourself that you’re going to do. Building up that trust currency in yourself will take you far.

2. Embrace the beginner mentality. Everyone’s a beginner at first! Don’t be embarrassed of failure or a lack of talent. Learning anything becomes 10x more enjoyable when you give yourself some grace.

3. Be open. There’s good and bad in everything. You can take and leave from any interaction or observation.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

Endurance by Alfred Lansing is one of my favorite books, and one that I read for one of my favorite classes at Stanford called “Making Sense of Strategy”. The book details the great Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the Antarctic, where he and his crew set out to become the first to sled dog across the continent. What’s surprising about this success story is that it actually spun out of great failure: the boat got crushed in between floes of pack ice, far before reaching the Antarctic continent. The real success was in Shackleton’s leadership and the crew’s endurance, which got them home with not a single life lost. We can all learn a thing or two from Shackleton’s leadership, whether it was knowing his crew’s personalities inside and out, which helped him to minimize conflict, to keeping the crew’s spirits high by setting small, achievable goals that boosted morale through the 20 months they were stuck drifting through Antarctic waters. Shackleton was a great leader who cared about his people first and foremost.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stanfordseabc.com/
• Instagram: neva_hidajat
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hidajatneva