Universitas Padjajaran has successfully qualified 87 of its students as recipients of the IISMA scholarship, a scholarship program initiated by the Ministry of Education and Culture as part of the “Kampus Merdeka” (Independent Campus) initiative. Mazaya Sofi Rahmani, a Journalism student from Fikom Unpad, is one of the participants who passed the program. She is commonly known as Ray. She has been awarded the IISMA scholarship to study at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Ray chose Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain for the IISMA 2023 program. She selected this university because it offers a course she is interested in, which is Data Science. As a journalism student, she believes it is important to study Data Science and technology since journalists are involved with both fields.
Her dream of pursuing education abroad since junior high school motivated Ray to participate in the IISMA program. She sees IISMA as an opportunity to experience studying abroad. By being part of this program, she hopes to enhance Indonesia’s reputation in the eyes of other countries. Additionally, she desires to gain valuable knowledge from her studies that can benefit those around her.
“I hope that by studying in Europe, I can see and have a third-party perspective, particularly the European perspective, on education and journalism. I want to explore how Indonesia can be viewed on par with other countries. If there are any flaws, they can be improved. Personally, I want to survive and learn together with my friends there, and eventually return to Indonesia with valuable lessons,” expressed Mazaya.
Lastly, she hopes that IISMA is not the last opportunity for her to receive scholarships for studying abroad. She wishes that what she learns will be useful for those around her, especially for Fikom Unpad students who will participate in the IISMA program next year. Furthermore, Ray advises Fikom Unpad students who will join IISMA to continuously improve their English language skills. According to her, having good English language proficiency is crucial for participating in the IISMA program. (Gabriella Anggi Yunita, [email protected])
