Leo Satria

Leo Satria, Alumni UPH, Kembangkan Konten Kreatif Berbasis Hospitality untuk Angkat Kuliner Lokal

The rapid growth of the digital world has opened many new opportunities for young people to express themselves in more creative and personal ways. This can be seen through the journey of Leo Satria, a 2017 Hospitality Management alumnus of Universitas Pelita Harapan, who is now actively building his career as a Digital Marketing Enthusiast and Culinary Content Creator. Through various cooking and culinary content on social media, Leo combines creativity, storytelling, and the values of hospitality that he learned during his university years.

Originally from Bali, Leo initially considered pursuing hospitality studies in his hometown. However, his desire to experience living away from home, along with following in the footsteps of his older sibling who had previously studied at UPH, ultimately led him to choose UPH for his higher education journey.

During his studies at UPH, Leo began to realize that hospitality is not only about service, but also closely related to business management and managerial skills.

“At first, I thought hospitality was mostly about service and interacting with people. But I discovered that it also has a strong business aspect, such as accounting, operational management, and understanding the industry as a whole. From there, I learned that hospitality is not only about service, but also about how a business can run effectively,” said Leo.

Growing Through Environment, Organizations, and Professional Experience

For Leo, his university years at UPH became one of the phases that shaped his perspective and mindset until today. The campus environment, filled with students from diverse regions, taught him how to understand different personalities and perspectives. Outside the classroom, he was also actively involved in various student activities, ranging from the Gastronomy Student Activity Unit, blood donation programs, to the Leadership Development Program (LDP). These experiences helped him expand his network while developing interpersonal skills that continue to benefit him today.

“The environment at UPH was very supportive. I met many people from different backgrounds, but everyone shared the same spirit of growing together. Through organizations and campus activities, I also learned a lot about teamwork and building relationships with others,” Leo shared.

One of the most memorable experiences during his university years was his internship program at The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place. The experience became an important learning process that shaped his discipline and professionalism before entering the professional world.

“That internship experience became a maturity process for me. I learned to value time, work more discipline, and understand how professionalism is applied in the real working world,” Leo explained.

Bringing Hospitality Values into the Digital and Creative Industry

Through his Instagram account, @leyosatria_ — which now has more than 165 thousand followers — Leo actively shares culinary and cooking-related content. Through his content, he wants to show that cooking is not merely a kitchen activity, but also a form of creativity and a way to explore Indonesia’s culinary culture.

He also sees that many young people are becoming increasingly disconnected from cooking activities, causing many traditional regional recipes to slowly become less recognized. Because of this, Leo hopes to encourage more people to try cooking Indonesian traditional dishes again through the content he creates.

“Nowadays, many people simply enjoy food without knowing how it is made. Through cooking, we can learn many things, including discovering recipes and culinary cultures from different regions of Indonesia. Through my content, I hope people become more interested in trying to cook traditional Indonesian dishes at home, so these recipes remain known and do not gradually disappear,” said Leo.

Through his digital platform, Leo hopes to continue introducing the richness of Indonesian cuisine while also sharing the stories behind every dish. According to him, food is not only about taste, but also about culture, experiences, and human connection.

For Leo, the hospitality values he learned during university have enriched his career journey in the digital creative industry, especially in understanding people, building relationships, and creating meaningful experiences. As an alumnus, he also encourages students to stay open to opportunities and have the courage to turn ideas into reality.

“Stay open to different opportunities and don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t just have ideas — learn how to execute them from start to finish. In a world that constantly changes, the ability to keep learning and growing is very important,” he advised.

Leo’s journey demonstrates that university experiences can become an important foundation in shaping creativity, mindset, and adaptability in an ever-evolving professional world. Through academic experiences and various self-development activities, Leo not only built skills, but also developed values and perspectives that continue to help him grow. His story reflects UPH’s commitment to providing holistic education that prepares students to become future leaders of excellence who fear God and create positive impact for society.