Shandra is a survivor of human trafficking and domestic violence. Shandra now lends her voiceglobally in the fight against modern day slavery through raising awareness, education, advocacy, legislation lobbying and empowerment. Shandra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Banking Management and her last position in Indonesia was as an International Money Market Trader and Manager of the Treasury Department of an International Bank.

In 2001, Shandrawent to the United States for an employment opportunity in one of major hotels in Chicago. There she was illegally sold and forced into the underground sex business in New York and surrounded areas. She managed to escape and collaborated with the New York Police Department to prosecute her traffickers. Safe Horizon New York assisted her to stay legally in the United States. She found healing after being a victim and began her advocacy work against human trafficking and violation of women and children’s rights.

In 2011, Shandra co-founded a survivor leadership programme called “Voices of Hope” facilitated by Safe Horizon.
Shandra testified at the New York City Budget Hearing, at New York State and to the Hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Ending Modern Slavery. Shandra also spoke at the Senado de la Republica, Government of Mexico about human trafficking policy, victim services and unaccompanied children.
In 2013, Shandra represented the United States at Global Exchange Programme hosted by Vital Voices and Hilton Worldwide, as an international woman leader to fight child sex trafficking internationally.

In 2014, Shandra participated at the first Federal Survivor Forum Listening Session at the White House. She was appointed by Governor Chris Christie to be Human Trafficking Commissioner in the state of New Jersey for the period of 2013-2017.

In 2014, Shandra founded Mentari Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment Program Inc., a non-profit organization to help survivors in their reintegration to the community.

In 2015,Shandra established Mentari’s Indonesia branch and distributed educational comic books “Impian Dewi” (Dewi’s Dream) to educate children about human trafficking and partner with local organizations in fighting poverty through backyard farming to prevent human trafficking in Indonesia. She raised awareness and met more than 10,000 students across Java and Bali.

In 2015,Shandra has been appointed by former President Barack Obama as the first United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.

As a motivational and inspirational speaker, Shandra spoke at USLS-Humanitarian UK Leadership Symposium in Hanoi, Vietnam. As a leader, she spoke about her leadership role at theUbud Writer and Reader Symposium in Bali, Indonesia and Keynote Speaker of Baur International Model United Nations Conference in Mexico. Recently she was a Keynote Speaker for the Transnational Organized Crime Conference hosted by the Department of State Diplomatic Security in conjunction with Interpol.

Shandrahas received many awards for her work and recently she received the Women of Worth 2017 award.
Shandra lives in New York with her children.