Discuss your academic and non-academic achievements, including the process and skills

involved in your previous or current degree program!

International Relations is a game-changer for me. It was the first time I stepped outside of my
comfort zone, deploying everything I could and pushing myself to the limits. I am a firm believer
that passion and perseverance are two main recipes for academic success. As a major whose
assignments are primarily essays and papers, I needed to improve my research and writing skills,
as well as my ability to think critically. I emailed one of my lecturers for a mentoring session on
how to produce a stunning-credible essay. Aside from enhancing my writing and research skills,
this mentoring session taught me how to maintain relationships with lecturers. Moving forward, I
took one step further to involve myself in several research projects. I was in charge of writing
annotated bibliography under the topics of “South-South Cooperation,” a research initiative
conducted by Dr Poppy, vice dean of FISIPOL UGM.

Furthermore, I was accepted to become the lecturer assistant for the International Political
Economy Course, a mandatory course for second-semester students. Departing from the
experiences of being a research assistant in my department, I joined several essay competitions
and won some of them. After numerous trials and errors, on the umpteenth attempt, I was
awarded second place in the International Essay Competition—the branch competition in KMI
Expo XII 2021 held by Kemendikbud. College life—presentation, assignments, discussions,
competitions—really put me on a rollercoaster ride, which is genuinely enjoyable. At that point,
I still made an effort for the second recipe of academic success, which is perseverance, until a
staff of the Student Department at my faculty contacted me to prepare documents for the
selection of the most outstanding students for the faculty level. Long story short, I was
nominated as the finalist and required to present my creative ideas regarding the SDGs. Although
I did not make it until the university level, the process of a three year journey at UGM opened up
my mind, exposing me to my strengths and weaknesses. I have discovered that success will come
if we pursue our heart and passion, combined with perseverance.

Please outline your plans to engage with local and international communities during
IISMA program using clear examples!
While many of my friends label me as a ‘social butterfly,’ I believe that this social skill is not
necessarily given since I was born. But, it was acquired through experiences. For example, I
juggled three organizations during my sophomore year which sharpened my social skills. I am
more than willing to practice this social intelligence later on during my exchange semester. As
someone who admires culture and diversity, I plan to join a Spanish language club in
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). Aside from improving my language, I will be able to
preserve as well as delve deep into multidimensional social-culture experiences that could
enlighten and liven up my exchange experience. As an Indonesian ‘ambassador,’ this club will
be a platform to promote Indonesian culture, exposing the beauty of its nature and the warmth of
its citizens. It is also my duty to bring a good image of Indonesia: as simple as showing kindness,
being disciplined, and respecting others.

For my second preference, Middle East Technical University (METU), I found out that there is
an ‘International Students Exchange Society.’ Having its members come from different
countries, this students’ association is valuable for opportunities during and after my exchange
semester. Apart from providing me with a worldwide connection and global networks, I can
understand how unique everyone’s characteristics are. This, in turn, will give me extensive social
intelligence on how to broaden my horizons and widen my perspective to not simply judge
people from one-sided information.

In collaboration with my fellow IISMA awardees, I intend to initiate an Indonesian cultural show
to expose Indonesian culture to international communities, either in Spain or Turkey. This event
will cover a cultural exhibition that consists of Indonesian traditional houses and dances, local
puppets, and other native art paintings such as batik. Furthermore, I will learn several Indonesian
culinary recipes to be served as a welcoming acknowledgement for those who are willing to
attend this event. I hope this event will shine a light on the promotion and exposure of Indonesia
and its magnificent culture to be recognized worldwide.

Discuss a time when you faced difficult challenge or hurdle during your study and how you
navigated through it!
“There are only two choices if you face failure: giving up or getting up and running again,” Ms.
Nesha, my debate coach back when I was in high school, once told me this in her beautiful
British accent.

As a person who genuinely aspires to have cross-cultural experiences, last year’s IISMA
rejection smacked me in the face, posing a great crisis inside me, dragging me down to one of the
lowest points of my life. Confidently felt that I was a deserving candidate—by having an
enjoyable interview, adequate GPA and English proficiency score—like a piece of paper, I was
crumbled by being forced to accept the bitter reality that I was not selected. After several days of
self-confining inside my dorm wall, I started to realize that life is uneasy and full of surprises.
This rejection planted a substantial lesson in my mind: failure is a part of life.

However, life still goes on, and therefore, mourning for days was never an option. I strategized
on how to make myself more outstanding for IISMA 2022. Since then, my GPA has been
improving from 3.66 to 3.72, which was a very challenging yet eye-opening experience of being
super ambitious in every assignment, group project, and contribution in the class. I registered
myself for an English course—specifically TOEFL iBT—and finally took my TOEFL iBT at the
beginning of March 2022. It did not stop there, I retook my Duolingo English Test, and I was
flabbergasted; my DET has been boosting compared to my last year’s score, from 115 to 135.
Failure somehow shows me how tough the future would be and thus, I ought to learn to admit
that humans are vulnerable: they are prone to sadness over failure.

From those experiences, facing failure and rising from it, I have come to accept my human side.
All I can do is just to give my best shot and pray. It is very liberating, and if I may reflect on
advice from Ms. Nesha, I can confidently say that I successfully chose the second option: to get
up and run again.

Explain about your health condition (i.e., dental and oral treatment/medical treatment/
covid-19 medication/mental health therapy/counseling)!
I was super lazy exercising until my parent’s friend told me that 39% of adults are overweight.
Being overweight which leads to obesity, could culminate in major health problems. It leads to
diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, which are scary for me and my future.
Although my weight does not indicate that I am obese (yet), I have to start working out
incrementally. Along with conducting fasting outside Ramadan, I joined a gymnastic community
in Yogyakarta, Celebrity Fitness. I pushed myself to burn more calories by joining class routines
such as Yoga and weight loss training. I was exhausted in my first week of joining the club, but I
am now feeling better. The result was a relief since I successfully lost several weight numbers.
Now, I feel much fresher, healthier, and happier. Either in UAM or METU, I will register for a
gymnastic club to maintain my fitness, so I will be healthy wherever I go. Furthermore, I have
never been diagnosed with any severe health concerns, both physically and mentally, as a result
of my efforts to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I am completely aware that mental health is important,
and I have devised strategies to prevent mental illness from affecting me. For example, I try to
find a healthy and supportive environment as an arena for my growth. I also accept that there will
be those who dislike us in life; all I can do is close my ears and keep moving forward. I make
every effort to provide positivity to the environment I live in. As a result, I have never had any
mental health issues and do not need to see a psychologist regularly. Lastly, I do not go to any
regular treatment such as dental/oral/medical treatment due to the healthy lifestyle built in my
family. I was familiarized with brushing my teeth before bed, washing my hands before eating,
avoiding smoking as well as alcohol. I will try to continue implementing this healthy lifestyle
during my exchange semester and for the rest of my life.