In June 2024, Leni, an English Literature student from the 2020 batch at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), embarked on a journey that enriched her experiences through the Global Experience (GEx) program organized by the National University of Singapore (NUS).

This program held from June 2nd to 28th, 2024, with the aim of introducing NUS students to the rich cultural heritage of Indonesia through visits to creative artists in Bandung and Yogyakarta. In Bandung, the activities took place at various locations such as Navetta, Dago Pojok, Cibunut Creative Village, and Omah Budaya Cigondewah. In Yogyakarta, they visited places like IVAA, Cemeti Art Institute, Street Art Tour, and Heri Dono Studio. The program consisted of one professor from NUS, one student assistant from NUS, 15 NUS students, and two student assistants from UGM. Leni was lucky to receive this valuable opportunity.

Leni joined the program after meeting Prof. Kiven during the 2023 Cultural Exchange, an annual collaboration between the UGM English Literature Program and NUS. Before the Cultural Exchange began, Leni was asked to assist three professors from NUS, including Prof. Kiven, in their preliminary survey in Yogyakarta. During the survey, they visited the Tactic Plastic community, a group of artists who create art from plastic waste. A few months later, UGM students who participated in the Cultural Exchange had the chance to visit Singapore and study at NUS, with one of the lectures delivered by Prof. Kiven. During this time, Prof. Kiven invited Leni to join as a fixer or liaison to help communicate with the artists in Yogyakarta for the GEx Bandung-Jogja program.

While working with the NUS team, Leni experienced a high level of professionalism. They highly valued punctuality, adhered to the schedule, and had detailed and clear work contracts. Prof. Kiven and the NUS students left a very positive impression on Leni due to their appreciative, caring, and understanding attitudes, and they never judged her shortcomings. From this experience, Leni gained many valuable lessons and the opportunity to build and strengthen her international network.

Through this program, Leni learned that seemingly ordinary things around her, such as artists, actually play a significant role in society. Art as a medium of expression often becomes an effective tool to deliver social issues. Moreover, in Singapore, artists are not as free as in Indonesia due to many regulations that restrict them, making the art in Indonesia feel more honest. This realization made Leni appreciate the freedom that can still be enjoyed in Indonesia, a great blessing often taken for granted.

Leni strongly encourages her fellow students to join and engage with international communities. She believes that such involvement can enrich one’s perspective on social phenomenas around us. Although geographically close, Singapore and Indonesia have culturally different habits and traditions. In conclusion, Leni believes that being involved in international communities can provide valuable insights that serve as a crucial life resource.

Photo 1: Leni with NUS Students at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM

On Monday 13th of May 2024, the English Literature Program held an alumni talk with Drs. M. Wahid Supriyadi at Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. Drs. M. Wahid Supriyadi had worked as the Indonesian Ambassador to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus since 2016. The year of 2020 was the year of retirement for Drs. M. Wahid Supriyadi as an Indonesian ambassador.

The Career Talk was attended by all students of the UGM English Literature Program batch 2021, 2022, and 2023. The event was opened by the host Aimar Prabhaswara Dzakri, the President of the English Literature Department Student Association (IMAJI) 2023. The event continued with a warm welcome by the Head of the English Literature Program, Dr. Adi Sutrisno, M.A.

This event aims to enhance students’ understanding of careers in politics and diplomacy. The importance of knowing contemporary issues regarding relations between countries is to create an educated society, strengthen universal solidarity, and be aware of the latest global news. In essence, individuals are part of a large group of people in the world. An individual has a role and contribution to the development and peace of the world.

Story after story was told by Pak Wahid to the students. The story starts from his career journey to the tips given by Pak Wahid to students who want to pursue their career path in diplomacy. He shared tips by saying to broaden the understanding of global issues through reading a lot of the latest news, both those happening in Indonesia and those happening in a worldwide scale.

During the question and answer session, Pak Wahid said that not only students of international relations-related study programs have the opportunity to work in foreign institutions/ministries. He said that anyone can pursue a career as a diplomat, both men and women. He also advised the students to avidly read various books and make reading books a hobby. It is no secret that books can help improve critical thinking, one of the elements needed by students and it is essential in the professional world.

The event ended with the awarding of a book written by Mr. Wahid to one of the student participants who actively asked questions during the activity. The title of the book is Diplomasi Ringan dan Lucu Kisah Nyata. After the awarding session, Pak Wahid and the students took selfies together and had a group photo session.

Lexicon, a journal published by the English Studies Programme, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, with the English Studies Association in Indonesia (ESAI), achieved national accreditation by Kementrian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi Republik Indonesia (Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology). Currently, Lexicon is accredited as a SINTA (Science and Technology Index) 3 journal.

Lexicon is a biannual journal that releases a new issue every April and October. Lexicon publishes articles in linguistics (focusing on pragmatics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and translation) and literature (focusing on interpreting short stories, novels, plays, and poems). Submission to the Lexicon journal is free and is always open throughout the year. The writers can be from any region of the globe, but submission is strictly restricted to articles written in English.

Link to Lexicon: http://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/lexicon 

This article is already published on https://english.fib.ugm.ac.id/2024/01/26/appreciation-post-lexicon-categorized-as-a-sinta-3-journal/ 

“A literature alumni can be a banker?!”

Tashia Maharani Tarmizi, an alumni of the English Department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, who also had the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program at the University of York, has successfully embarked on her career in the banking industry!

Currently, Tashia works at Bank Central Asia, the top-ranked private bank in Asia, as a management trainee under the Management Development Program (MDP). In brief, MDP itself is a one year program created by BCA to train and nurture future leaders in the banking industry through comprehensive in-class lessons and on-the-job training experiences. In one year, trainees will undergo various rotations in different divisions within the company, such as operations, audit, sales and marketing, and credit analysis.

Her experience at BCA made her realize that working in a bank is not as boring as what many people say. During her first rotation, Tashia had the opportunity to learn about how the banking business process goes at one of BCA’s main branches. Not only did she gain practical work experience, she was also trained to think like a banker, with problem solving skills that offer the best solutions to challenges faced by stakeholders. This experience sharpened her knowledge of business industry and also honed her soft skills such as assertive communication, problem solving, and critical thinking.

One thing that she highlights about the program is its highly competitive recruitmnet process. But, she really appreciates how BCA conducts interviews that prioritize two-way communication. This step is genuinely used to understand the candidates in detail, including their background, motivations, personal goals, etc. Additionally, BCA focuses on a strong emphasis on human resource development, hence continuous learning through coaching, in-class lessons, and on-the-job training are integral parts that will be experienced by every candidate.

However, the journey that she had to take (and currently taking, and will take) is not all rainbows and butterflies. Her education background in literature requires her to study even harder, especially in the quantitative realm. Nevertheless, she believes that literature and humanities students have been accustomed to analytical and critical thinking, as well as viewing problems from various persepctives, which adds value to excel in this program and environment. Another challaange she faced was the shift in the working system from WFH (Work from Home) to WFO (Work from Office). As a person accustomed to the WFH system, this gave her another different experience. However, she is beyond grateful for it, as it brought her closer to her friends and colleagues.

One intriguing aspect of Tashia Maharani is that the thought of becoming a banker never crossed her mind. Previously, she worked as a full time entrepreneur at home, building a small business that aligned with her passion. Most people asked her why she gave up on spearheading her business in exchange to going back to corporate life. Her answer is pretty simple, she still has a strong passion and desire to learn. Whether she ends up as a banker or an entrepreneur, she is aware that there is so much she does not know about in this world. Tashia chose MDP because she believes that this program not only teaches how to be a leader but also allows her to meet people from different backgrounds and industries. Moreover, this job brings her closer to various aspects such as economics, trade, investment, etc, which are closely related to people’s daily lives.

In conclusion, Tashia emphasized that the MDP program and the banking industry, in general, is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, most of which are not direclty related to their current jobs. Tashia says, “Just because you come from a certain major, it does not mean that you cannot have a career in the banking industry. The most important thing is to have leadership and interpersonal skills, which can be honed through various activities such as organizations, student exchanges, internships, as well as the ability to analyze and think critically, which will guide you through various challenges.”

Photo 1: Tashia when she was attending the University of York as a student exchange through IISMA program. 

Photo 2: She had an amazing opportunity to visit the Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, Ireland and International Maritime Organization in London.