Monday, April 29, 2024, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM received a visit from Tgk Chiek Oemar Diyan Modern Islamic Boarding School from Aceh Besar Regency, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province. This visit is part of a study tour organized by the boarding school for students accompanied by supervisors and representatives of the Modern Islamic Boarding School Tgk Chiek Oemar Diyan to introduce the students to the campus environment of Universitas Gadjah Mada, especially studies at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. Not only as an introduction, but also as a motivation to pursue higher education, considering that one of the students named Ahmad Faiz Musyarraf successfully passed the Physics Engineering study program through the results of the National Selection Based on Test (SNBT) Year 2023.

On this special occasion, one of the lecturers and Professor of the Anthropology Study Program, Prof. Dr. Irwan Abdul, also shared the story of his journey to study at the UGM Cultural Anthropology study program in his time. The professor, who was born in North Aceh, gave a message to the students to cultivate persistence and never give up, which was also the spirit of Prof. Dr. Irwan Abdul during his efforts to get an education at Gadjah Mada University and during his migration in Yogyakarta during his undergraduate studies at UGM. Through his message, he also mentioned the wide open opportunities in the future open to anyone who is brave and steadfast in the learning process.

In a dedicated effort to empower students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and strive towards achieving SDG 4 – Quality Education, Pusat Bahasa organized a free IISMA Preparation during the winter break of 2024. The primary objective of this initiative was to provide support to the students aspiring to participate in IISMA Program 2024, which is part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology’s broader initiative, the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Programs. Held each morning from January 22nd to February 2nd, 2024, the bootcamp served as a platform to equip students with essential skills and strategies crucial for participation in IISMA Program 2024.

The mentoring team, comprising Adiba Qonita Zahroh, S.S., M.Litt., Alvanita, M.Ed., and Diyah Ayu Puspitasari, S.S., M.A., played a pivotal role in guiding students through the intricacies of essay writing and interview strategies. Their collective expertise aimed to enhance the students’ chances of becoming recipients of the IISMA Program awards. By delving into these key aspects, the bootcamp not only offered valuable academic insights but also contributed to the personal and professional development of the participating students.

Beyond skill development, IISMA Preparation 2024 also provided tangible benefits for active participants. Students who attended a minimum of 70% of the sessions were entitled to receive a chance for the Academic English Proficiency Test (AcEPT) at Pusat Bahasa FIB UGM for free. This added incentive further reinforced the university’s commitment to fostering holistic growth and creating opportunities for students to excel both academically and beyond.

By: Pusat Bahasa FIB UGM

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/ 

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences has many talented young students whose potential has been recognized by many people, one of them is Alya Ranti Azzahra. The student who is often called Alya, has succeeded in publishing 4 printed books which have been distributed on Gramedia, one of them has been filmed in cinemas & the other one has also been serialized on Genflix. This young woman from West Java is currently studying at the Indonesian Language and Literature department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University. At just 22 years old, she has already achieved many achievements. She admitted that she had loved reading and writing since childhood. She often took part in competitions and won. That is what then motivated her to take her writing talent more seriously.

In 2018, the rise ofphenomenon made Alya interested in writing and publishing work on that platform. Her first work, entitled The Other Side, has so far been read 23 million times. Since then, her works began to be recognized by readers and she began to write consistently. In 2020, the novel entitled The Other Side was published by Pastel Books, PT Mizan Pustaka. The novel was then filmed nationally in Indonesian cinemas by PT. Lingkar Karya Pratama and broadcast on March 17th 2022. In addition, her work entitled Broken Memories was broadcast on Genflix and succeeded in occupying the second highest position in the most watched series.

Alya admits that she feels happy when writing. According to her, she can express whatever is in her head without having to communicate it directly. “Because my mind is quite full and I like to imagine many things, I feel that writing is a ‘container’ for me. On the other hand, I think writing is like sharing feelings with other people. I can also create a new world. Also, I can express myself through the characters I create in the story.” She said on January 25th 2024 when she was asked about the reason why she liked writing so much. Furthermore, she also shared several tips for writing and producing work, such as:

• Always write from heart! It sounds classic, but anything written from the heart will definitely reach other hearts. Write sincerely and position yourself as if you are the character you are writing about.
• Consistent! Consistency in writing stories is really necessary. Especially as a digital writer. Readers are more likely to read our writing when we consistently write stories.
• Want to learn. You can start by learning about writing from writing books, writing seminars, and writers who have written before to find out writing tips. Apart from that, you also want to learn to develop yourself. Because now social media is developing very quickly.
• Read lots of books! To become a writer, of course you have to read a lot of books to find inspiration and increase your vocabulary.
• Be open to all suggestions and criticism, often chat with lots of people, be more sensitive to the environment around us because many new and brilliant ideas come from it.

In closing, Alya gives advice to the prospective writers that when we decide to become writers, we give our whole body and soul to the writing. We have to really like the world of writing. Write a story honestly and from the heart. Always be open to suggestions and criticism, often chat with people, & never stop learning. Just have fun writing, but don’t forget to come from the heart! She hopes that her journey to achieve success can motivate and provide valuable lessons for many people.

Wednesday, January 24 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences released 36 graduates from the Postgraduate Program of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. This event took place at the Soegondo Auditorium at 13:00 Western Indonesian Time (GMT+7). The event began with an opening speech from the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si, followed by a speech from the representative of Postgraduate students, I Made Umbaran Jaya, from Archeology Master Program who achieved the highest GPA with a GPA of 3.98. There was also a special performance from Rampoe UGM, performing Tarek Pukat Dance, followed by submission of graduation documents, and ended with a joint prayer.

At this moment, the atmosphere was full of emotion and pride, which was also radiated on the faces of the graduates who have completed their study at postgraduate level. Each graduate received a recognition, which marked as the end of their study and the beginning of their new journey in a professional environment.

With this event, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences wrote a new history in preparing the young generation with intellectuals, ready to make a valuable contribution to the society. Hopefully they can continue to be an inspiration to many people. Congratulations on achieving your dreams!