Joy enveloped Rahmad Raafi Saputra (18) after he learned he had been admitted to the Faculty of Forestry at Universitas Gadjah Mada without taking a test.
He still remembers the afternoon of (Mar. 18) when the SNBP announcement was made. From inside his room, he ran slightly to the house’s terrace, showing his gadget screen to his parents, Sukiman and Asniar, who were chatting leisurely.
“My parents looked happy, especially after knowing I would study at UGM with 0 rupiah tuition fee,” Raafi recalled on Thursday (Jun. 12).
Sukiman (60) felt happy and grateful that Raafi was accepted for free tuition through UGM’s UKT 0 scholarship.
As a construction laborer earning 80 thousand rupiah a day, he admitted it would be quite heavy if he had to pay tuition fees.
“Moreover, this job is uncertain. Sometimes there is work, sometimes there isn’t. I am grateful Raafi was accepted at UGM; I hope he can study well and smoothly,” he wished.
His father’s job as a construction laborer with an uncertain income made Raafi understand, so he never felt disheartened.
Aware of his condition, Raafi had long been a person who did not demand much of himself. Even when asked by his parents to attend school near his home.
Raafi attended SD Muhammadiyah Domban, SMP Negeri 2 Sleman, and SMA Negeri 1 Sleman. All these schools were not far from his home on Temulawak Street, Sleman Regency.
By attending school near home, Raafi felt advantaged because not much expense had to be incurred. He could also concentrate better on his studies.
Fortunately, throughout his education from elementary to high school, he always received good grades and was a regular recipient of the PIP scholarship from the government.
Raafi admitted to having been haunted by worries about his future. With his family’s economic condition, he doubted he could continue college without a scholarship.
To dispel those worries, he resolved to always achieve since he was in the 10th grade at SMA Negeri 1 Sleman.
It is no wonder that he always participated in various competitions at every opportunity. As proof, he achieved a series of academic and non-academic accomplishments.
He won 3rd place in the Sesorah (Javanese Speech) Competition at the Yogyakarta Special Region Festival.
He was also a Road Safety Week (PKJ) Ambassador at the Yogyakarta Provincial level, 1st place in the PMR Choir (PMR Wira PMI Sleman Regency level), and 1st place in Speech at the Sleman Regency MTQ.
Not only that, Raafi was also active in extracurricular organizations, serving as a board member of OSIS Pradiptatama SMA Negeri 1 Sleman, Pleton inti, and the Gita Pradiptatama Choir.
Most recently, he undertook a scientific paper project to participate in the 2024 Indonesian Student Research Olympiad (OPSI) in the field of Applied Physics and Engineering, organized by the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas).
In this competition, he wrote on the theme: Targeting Indonesia’s Environmental Paradigm: CARBONIX (Carbon Oxygen Nexus Integration Extractor) Innovation as a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to Oxygen (O2) Converter in Efforts to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Effects.
Raafi is grateful for all the journeys he has gone through during his school years. There are several reasons why he then chose the Faculty of Forestry at UGM.
Besides aspiring to be a forester, he hopes to plan and work at the Ministry of Environment or a company.
“Our country is known as the lungs of the world. We can learn from forests and learn about Indonesia. We are concerned that forests in Indonesia are thinning; as the next generation, we must ensure the global ecosystem remains maintained and balanced,” Raafi explained.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Firsto Adi