SDG 4: Quality education | SDGs 4: Basic literacy skills | SDGs 8: Creativity and innovation | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDG 17: Partnerships for goals | SDGs 17: Fostering innovation

Sunday, May 5, 2024 was the last day of a series of Pasar Jembar events held at Jogja Nation Museum Bloc. The event offered many diverse UMKM stands that you could try on the spot or take home. Everything from traditional cuisine to antiques were sold there. Aside from selling local brands, the event also provided an open stage for entertainment where local communities could take part. One of the communities that enlivened the stage was the Gadjah Mada University Postgraduate Art community, commonly known as SAGA. SAGA sent representatives from the dance division to perform their Nyawiji Mukti dance and from the theater division to perform a poetry musicalization entitled “Kau Peluk Luka Punyaku” by Inri Savitri.

Interestingly, the delegate of the theater division is a graduate student from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Linguistics study program, class of 2022. Her name is Aisyah Riska. Apart from being active in the academic field, she is also active in developing her talents in the arts by joining several art communities during lectures. This 25-year-old woman often performs at various events and art performances, one of which on this occasion was at the Pasar Jembar event. With her ability to read poetry, she managed to hypnotize the audience with her poetry musicalization. The audience was touched by her recitation of a religious poem about God who accompanies us when we are wounded and is able to heal it. “I want to awaken people to remember that in the most painful situation they are not alone, there is God who always holds them tight, so be strong and get closer to Him,” she said.

SDG 4: Quality education | SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDGs 4: Enrolment | SDGs 4: Equal access | SDG 10: Reduced inequality | SDGs 10: Culture | SDGs 10: Education | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Adaptable | SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Accountable institutions | SDGs 16: Education

The month of Ramadan has passed. Visits from outside the region to the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Gadjah Mada are busy again. This time, on April 29, 2024 at 9 am, the faculty was visited by younger siblings who came all the way from Aceh, namely the modern boarding school MA Teuku Chiek Oemar Diyan. Wearing polite and closed clothes typical of the city of Mecca portico in green and combined with black suits and caps for men, 104 students and 6 accompanying teachers entered the auditorium in an orderly and enthusiastic manner while taking pictures and recording videos. The MC opened and warmly welcomed their arrival, followed by remarks from school representatives. “From the tip of Aceh, the first time to Java, many cultural differences are found so that we have to adapt a lot. Therefore, please apologize if there are mistakes made by our students,” said one of the accompanying teachers who gave a speech.

Next, they watched video screenings and quizzes. This session not only practiced concentration, but also increased knowledge about Universitas Gadjah Mada and the Faculty of Cultural Sciences in particular. To add more insight to the students, an additional session was provided, namely a sharing session of Prof. Irwan’s journey from Aceh to become a professor at UGM. He gave motivation that villagers can go international if they go to UGM. FIB also does not see where we are from because everyone is diverse, “Acehnese nutrition is still good because they eat fish, which is lacking in business, so let’s try and Insha Allah we will meet again here,” he said. Mas Yusuf, who is the staff of the academic and student affairs department, also conveyed some more specific things about academics, and introduced the web which has complete information. The students’ enthusiasm was even more apparent during the questioning session. The event was closed with a very entertaining performance from the students.

SDG 4: Quality education | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | SDGs 8: Decent work for all | SDGs 9: Affordable access | SDG 10: Reduced inequalities | SDGs 10: Education | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 11: Adaptable | SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Accountable institutions

The happy graduates and their parents were present at the Raden Soegondo Building Auditorium, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM / to take part in the Mangayubagya Graduate Program Graduate Program Third period Academic Year 2023/2024 on April 24, 2024. As usual before starting the event, do not forget the Master of Ceremony, which at that time was entrusted to Vivin and Diyah, conveyed some information for safety and smoothness during the event. The audience was then asked to stand while the Dean, Deputy Dean, Head of Department, and Head of Postgraduate Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada entered the ceremony room. After all attendees were in the room, the MC welcomed everyone. 

The event began with several speeches. The first speech, from the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, will be represented by the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, M.Hum. The second speech will be delivered by the Deputy Graduate of the Middle East Cultural Studies Master Program, Br. Rafika Fidlaty Zulfa, M.A. The event continued with the presentation of Beksan Nirbaya Dance performed by FIB UGM students who are members of the Sastro Obah student activity unit. Beksan Nirbaya or Edan-edanan dance is one of dozens of dances in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The dance is named “Edan-edanan Nirbaya Dance”. “Nir” which means reject, “Baya” which means danger so that this dance is interpreted as a dance that rejects danger, especially during the wedding procession or other major events. With four dancers and pairs, this dance was created not only as a ritual to repel bad luck, but also as entertainment.

The next event was the submission of graduation documents consisting of English diplomas and transcripts. The graduation documents were submitted by each Head of Study Program to the graduates. The graduates came forward in an orderly manner to receive the graduation documents followed by a group photo. Before closing, the event was paused for a moment to pray for protection and safety for us and goodness for the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. The joint prayer was led by Br. Cahya Daru, M.A. Finally, the Dean, Deputy Deans, Heads of Departments, and Heads of Postgraduate Study Programs, Faculty of Sciences followed by graduates and parents / guardians were allowed to leave the ceremony room. The organizing committee would like to thank you for your presence in this mangayubagya event.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 5: Gender Equality | SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences received a visit from ASIA to JAPAN. During this visit, Masato Sampei, the CEO of ASIA to JAPAN, provided important information regarding opportunities to work in Japan. In his presentation, he explained several key points such as the company profile, partner companies, and general requirements to work in Japan. Additionally, on this occasion, he also introduced several alumni from major universities in Indonesia who have joined ASIA to JAPAN and will be heading to Japan.

The enthusiasm shown was not only from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences but also from the Faculty of Engineering, indicating that the interest in working in Japan is quite widespread. This is because Japan is known as one of the advanced countries with rapidly developing industries and advanced technology, making it interesting to many students who want to develop their careers in these fields.

Visits and socializations like this are expected to provide students with a better understanding of job opportunities abroad, as well as the preparations needed to achieve them, including understanding company profiles, cooperation, and required qualifications. Hopefully, this event will be the first step for many students to pursue their dreams in an international career.