About Benedict

Hello! My name is Benedict Widjaja. I was born in Perth, Western Australia in 2006, and attended Perth Modern School in Subiaco. Upon graduating in 2023, I received a Melbourne National Merit Scholarship and moved interstate at 17 years old to pursue a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and statistics at the University of Melbourne, where I am currently in my third (and final) year.

Art & Academics

Growing up, I loved doing arts and crafts projects with my mum, and later learning maths and physics with my dad. I especially loved all the road trips we would go on during the school holidays around Southwest Australia, and would spend hours staring at world maps. This interest in art, science, and the world we live in has followed me as I have begun to chart my own path.

I have been making art for as long as I can remember, starting out drawing buildings and cityscapes before becoming engrossed in the arts of calligraphy and portraiture. It is through art that I have had the privilege of meeting people of various ages, backgrounds, and contexts, ranging from newborns to centenarians, and from friends and family to TV personalities.

Some of my most meaningful work to date has involved seeing first-hand how art can connect people across generations, and spark conversations I might otherwise not have had.

During my time as a student at Perth Mod, I started DarKalligraph in 2018 to explore videography as a means of sharing the stories and processes behind the art. Since then, I have published close to 100 videos, which have since reached over 200,000 views, with the channel growing into a community of over 2,000 subscribers on YouTube.

In 2022, when I was 16 years old, I had the opportunity to meet then 106-year-old Gordon Ewers, as part of The Centenarian Portrait Project by Teenagers by Embraced, a story which has since been featured on Network 10’s The Project (2023), 9News Perth (2023), as well as in articles by the Department of Education WA and The POST newspaper.

In 2025, as an 18-year-old, now second-year university student, I was selected to be an artist on the ABC’s inaugural season of Portrait Artist Of The Year AU (ABC TV, 2025). Later that year, I also found myself at the AINSE Winter School, which saw 52 students from across Australia and New Zealand visiting ANSTO‘s Lucas Heights campus to learn about the scientific infrastructure and the research taking place there.

That year, I got to experience and be a part of how art can connect people nationwide, and how scientists collaborate to solve problems for the benefit of Australia.

Learning & Teaching

Besides art and academics, when I was 12 years old, I became quite interested in the idea of self-learning, and have sought to document my journey in learning foreign languages, as well as learning to play the piano by ear.

For me, learning is a way of satisfying my intellectual curiosity, with the added benefit of coming out of it with a new skill that lets you connect with people you otherwise might not have met, such as through being involved in things like German Theatre, and playing piano at my local church. I am working on a blog and developing various resources right here on this website for others interested in pursuing a similar self-directed path.

Ultimately, however, it was my friend who introduced me to the German language, and my high school teachers who introduced me to portraiture and inspired me to pursue mathematics. These experiences taught me that human connection can be an incredible driver of learning, and inspired me to seek roles in education myself.

I started out as an assistant instructor of Taekwondo, later working at my local Kumon centre, and now as a private tutor, where I have gotten the privilege of working with and supporting students from early childhood, all the way to senior high school, primarily in maths and science.

At university, I have also been a Peer Mentor for the Bachelor of Science, Secretary of the University of Melbourne German Club, and a Tertiary Student Assistant at Port Melbourne Secondary College in Victoria, as well as on the steering committee of Songs For You, an intergenerational community arts project by Embraced.

So that’s my story so far. What’s next?

Now, I’m in my final year, and after having taken courses in mathematics, statistics, physics, and environmental economics, I’ve finally landed on atmospheric and climate science as the thread which unites my long-standing interest in the natural and built environment, the communities that depend on them, and all the technical challenges of mathematical modelling.

It’s an exciting area filled with many interesting questions, and incredibly passionate people too, which I look forward to being a part of through an Honours year next year.

Beyond that, I hope to continue learning, meeting new people, and serving others, whether it be through research, sharing my art, playing music, or teaching, and just seeing where that takes me.

Thank you for reading my story.

If any of this has interested you, feel free to connect! I’d love to learn about who you are!