Universitas Gadjah Mada held the graduation ceremony for Bachelor’s and Applied Bachelor’s degree programs for the third period of the 2025/2026 academic year on Thursday (May 21, 2026). During this period, the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences saw 11 students graduate; two of them, Endar Sasmito Aji and Haryo Untoro, were recipients of the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation (YAD) scholarship. Both successfully completed their studies with cum laude honors in less than four years.
Endar Sasmito Aji is a graduate of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program who was frequently active in various Javanese arts and cultural activities. Hailing from Kulon Progo, he participated in several campus-based arts communities, such as the Gamelan Mahasiswa Sastra Nusantara (Gamasutra) at the study program level and the Unit Kesenian Jawa Gaya Surakarta (UKJGS) at the university level. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Aji gained professional experience through an internship at the Cultural Office (Kundha Kabudayan) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Regarding organizational involvement, he served in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Student Association (HMJ Kamastawa) during the Candrabirawa Cabinet (2023/2024) and the Ancalaloka Cabinet (2024/2025) terms. He was also involved as an organizer and performer for the 12th Gugur Gunung, as an organizer and gamelan musician for the 13th Gugur Gunung, and as an organizer for the 30th Temu Budaya Nusantara (TBN), an event held by the Association of Regional Language and Literature Students of Indonesia (Imbasadi) at the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada.
Endar’s thesis focused on Javanese performing arts. His research examined the humor within the Dhagelan Mataram (Javanese comedy) performance titled Umuk Keblasuk, featuring renowned Yogyakarta comedians Gareng Rakasiwi, Jonet, and Ari Purnomo. He successfully completed his studies in three years and seven months, graduating cum laude.
Meanwhile, Haryo Untoro was a student in the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture program, actively engaged in Javanese studies, particularly regarding the Javanese language. Despite hailing from Bekasi, he completed his degree in three years, eight months, and seven days, also graduating cum laude. During his time as a student, he was active in various organizations; he served as a member of the HMJ Kamastawa under the Candrabirawa Cabinet (2023/2024) and Ancalaloka Cabinet (2024/2025), and held membership and leadership roles in the Cultural Sciences Muslim Family (KMIB) under the Badr Cabinet (2023/2024) and Tajdeed Cabinet (2024/2025). Additionally, he was an active member and administrator of the Indonesian Regional Language and Literature Student Association (Imbasadi) during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 terms. Beyond organizational involvement, he gained experience working part-time in administration for the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture program at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM. His active engagement was accompanied by various academic achievements, including winning First Place in the 2023 Humanika Essay Competition and First Place in the National Scientific Writing Competition (LKTIN) at Imbasadi’s Temu Budaya Nusantara XXX (Archipelago Cultural Gathering). Furthermore, he was a student in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences’ “Fast Track” program and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Linguistics at the same faculty, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Their theses also focused on linguistic studies, specifically analyzing the translation structure of the anthology Jenggala: Kumpulan Puisi Dwibahasa (Jenggala: A Bilingual Poetry Collection). originally written in Indonesian by Monika N. Arundhati and translated into Old Javanese by Y. Novi Marginingrum.
The graduation of these two students is expected to inspire other students to pursue their studies diligently and play an active role in preserving Javanese culture. Furthermore, collaboration among various stakeholders must be strengthened to preserve and embed Javanese culture within society. A prime example is the role of the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation through its student scholarship program. The foundation’s commitment to supporting both education and cultural preservation represents a tangible contribution toward intellectually enriching the nation and strengthening national identity through culture.
Author: Prodi Sastra Jawa FIB UGM
