International Women’s Day is a special moment to celebrate the achievements of women, reflect on the challenges they face, and recognize the importance of solidarity and support among women. On university campuses, these bonds of sisterhood are especially meaningful. At the Faculty of Psychology in Universitas Gadjah Mada, female students significantly outnumber male students, creating an environment where friendships among women become a vital source of support, understanding, and empowerment.
For many students, learning is usually conducted inside the classroom. But for Radya Nasywa Zahira, joining the SMI Youth Exchange Singapore–Malaysia–Thailand opened the door to lessons that stretched across borders, cultures, and new experiences.
The SMI Youth Exchange is a program that brings together selected individuals to learn about diplomacy, education, and culture across three countries. Radya was chosen as a fully funded delegate for Batch 10, and for her, the program was an opportunity to gain real international exposure. She shared that it was not only about cultural exploration but also academic visits and meaningful discussions on global issues like the Sustainable Development Goals.
On Thursday, 16 January 2024, IUP Psychology conducted a seminar with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia for the event titled “Undergraduate Final Year Project International Seminar 2024”. In this seminar, three students of IUP Psychology participated as speakers where they briefly presented their thesis. The first participant, Ni Putu Sitha, presented her thesis about sleep deprivation, with the title “The Effect of Moderate Sleep Deprivation on Working Memory Performance.” Her experience was both enlightening and engaging. The virtual platform provided an opportunity to connect with a diverse audience interested in the world of research and, of course, the intricate relationship between sleep and cognitive function.
According to Dissy, some actions are quite challenging. Going through two consecutive days of 12-hour meetings was a bit of a challenge, especially for someone attending such sessions for the first time. Surprisingly, the long hours didn’t feel as tough because the discussions were interesting and the people were friendly. In these meetings, Dissy got to know everyone better, learned about different personalities, and played a crucial role as the note-taker. The team was friendly and patient, making the whole experience a good introduction to the complex world of psychology in Indonesia. From the experience, the benefit that has a significant impact as a psychology student is the relationship with fellow individuals who work in the field of psychology. Dissy is grateful that she had an experience as the teaching assistant of Dr Edilburga Wulan Saptandari and she became her assistant in one of the most prominent organizations for psychologists in Indonesia. If she hadn’t been a teaching assistant before, she thought that she might not have had the chance to be an assistant at HIMPSI. Another big plus is the experience. Here, she’s learning a lot about connecting different groups and trying to fit into the “real work culture.”
Around 350 students eagerly visited and collected information at our booth. Upon engaging with the students, we were delighted to learn that their initial understanding of Psychology encompassed various keywords such as “motivation,” “stress,” “counseling,” and “mental health.” However, we took the opportunity to inform them that the discipline of Psychology taught at Gadjah Mada University covers a much broader spectrum of topics, including the fascinating fields of neuropsychology and forensic psychology.