Malaysia, January 1, 2025 – Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Arabic Literature Study Program is sending its students to participate in a student exchange at Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) through the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program in 2024. IISMA is one of the flagship programs of Kampus Merdeka organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. The activity takes place from October 7, 2024 to February 23, 2025.
Through this program, Elvira Sundari, a 2021 Arabic Literature student, had the opportunity to broaden her academic and cultural horizons by taking four courses from three different faculties. In the Faculty of Education, she studied “Social Media in Language Learning” and “Teaching of Literature: Reading The Word and The World”. From the Faculty of Islamic Studies, she took the course “Comparative Arabic Literature”, and in the Faculty of Social Sciences she attended the class “Intercultural Communication”. These activities support the development of cross-cultural and scientific understanding relevant to her field of study.
In addition to studying, Elvira also participated in various additional activities. She participated in a poetry declamation competition during the UKM 2024 Book Festival. She won third place in the competition and was the only participant from Indonesia. On another occasion, she recited Indonesian poetry during Arunika 2024, an Indonesian cultural festival in Malaysia.
“This opportunity gave me the experience of learning in a different environment, allowing me to learn more about literature and culture in Malaysia,” Elvira said. Her participation in this program reflects her spirit to continue learning and establishing relationships between nations.
[Public Relations of Faculty of Arts UGM, Bulan Churniati]
