Cindy Christella’s mission to empower students

Cindy Christella is an Indonesian-born, Australian-based education entrepreneur. Her fluency in languages and deep cultural insights have helped her play a key role in the international education industry in Australia.

As the founder of an education-marketing agency to serve international students, Cindy says education is more than a business: ‘It’s about building futures, opening minds, and connecting cultures. That purpose drives me every day.’

A multicultural upbringing

With a Chinese-Indonesian mother and Borneo Dayak ancestry on her father’s side, Cindy’s life has been woven from diverse cultural threads. She was born in Jakarta and raised on Bangka Island.

At the age of 14, Cindy’s world was upended when she was sent to study at an international high school in Nanning, Guangxi in southern China. She learnt to speak Mandarin fluently and made friends from China, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

Cindy arrived in Australia to initially study hospitality before converting to a Bachelor of Laws at Swinburne University. She would later supplement this degree with a postgraduate degree in Migration Law and Practice at UTS.

She kicked off her career as Head of Marketing in an international college in Sydney, where most of the enrolees hailed from Southeast Asia.

Her ability to speak students’ native languages helped cement relationships.

‘Speaking their language helped me build trust quickly, which is important when you’re helping students and families make big decisions,’ she says.

Entrepreneurial leap in a crisis

When COVID-19 lockdowns led to reduced working hours, Cindy seized the opportunity to pursue a long-held ambition. She wanted to run her own business like her Indonesian family.

In 2020, she co-founded IStudentPlus and quickly realised that many applicants needed stronger English skills. Seeing a gap in the market, she launched an English language school in Makassar in South Sulawesi in Indonesia. She partnered with an Australian ELICOS provider to offer affordable, practical courses.

‘I was nervous and excited at the same time,’ she recalls. ‘I had to find a local team, arrange the partnership with the Australian English provider, and set the curriculum, all from a distance at first.’

Within weeks, over 100 students had enrolled. Some were driven not by aspirations to study abroad, but by a desire to help family businesses with emails and negotiation in English.

The Makassar school, registered as PT Wacana Belajar Internasional, has been a success.

‘The feedback has been very positive, and students appreciate the affordable price and practical teaching,’ says Cindy.

Cindy Christella founded an education agency to help students from Southeast Asia and the world to study in Australia, as well as an English language school in Indonesia.

Lessons in trust and legal safeguards

An expansion into Vietnam taught her that cultural goodwill must be backed by legal clarity.

Trusting a friend to set up a local office, Cindy discovered her partner was secretly launching a rival firm.

‘I learned that in Southeast Asia, trust is essential, but it is not enough without formal legal agreements,’ she says.

Cindy withdrew early and escaped major loss, but emerged with a valuable blueprint for future expansion. She vowed to engage lawyers, draft clear contracts and conduct rigorous due diligence on every future partner.

Building a business across Southeast Asia

Cindy’s work at IStudentPlus allows her to leverage her bicultural background. She travels regularly across Southeast Asia and other growth markets like Japan.

In addition to attending trade fairs and roadshows and hosting workshops, she likes to meet families and finetune course offerings.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore account for the bulk of the enrolments, while Thailand and the Philippines are fast-rising markets.

Cindy credits this growth to her hands-on approach.

‘I don’t just consult from Sydney,’ she says. ‘I meet students where they live, speak their dialect and build relationships that last.’

Education and language as trade and diplomacy tools

Cindy is a fervent believer in education as a strategic export and cultural bridge.

‘Trade today is more than goods. It includes education, skills training and people-to-people ties,’ she says.

She urges Australian schools to reintroduce Bahasa Indonesia and Southeast Asian studies into the curriculum.

‘I have met many older Australians who learned Bahasa Indonesia in school, and it was a popular subject,’ she says. ‘Bringing these language programs back would help Australia strengthen ties with its neighbours.’

Looking forward: Jakarta and beyond

Cindy’s next milestone is opening an IStudentPlus office in Jakarta – a move driven by Indonesia’s 10-million-strong youth market and sustained appetite for overseas education.

‘Australian education and vocational skills are in great demand from the large and growing student base and a high-growth economy in need of skills in emerging industries,’ says Austrade Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner Stephen Skulley.

‘Having diaspora with cultural connections and language skills is a crucial enabler to leverage Australia’s advantages in geographical proximity and sought-after quality education providers.’

Beyond Southeast Asia, she envisions programs in Japan, China and across the Asia-Pacific, matching students to niche offerings like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pathways and vocational training.

Outside work, Cindy photographs portraits for influencers and crafts marketing content for the Australia Malaysia Singapore Association (AMSA), where she was Head of Marketing.

For anyone eyeing Southeast Asia as a natural partner for Australia, Cindy’s advice is simple:

‘Do your research, be open-minded, build local networks and ask questions in person – face-to-face engagement is irreplaceable,’ she shares. ‘Don’t try to do everything alone – find people who truly understand the culture and market.’

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