Bhagas Nakshatrasakti is stated as UGM’s youngest student in 2019. An alumnus of Al Izhar high school in Pondok Labu, Jakarta, he is 15 years old when accepted as UGM student in academic year 2019/ 2020.
Bhagas said he had not expected to be the youngest student after having been accepted at International Undergraduate Biology Programme. He felt it normal because he had long aspired to be a Biology student of UGM.
“Because Biology studies life and discuss the basic aspects of life,” he said at the courtyard of Grha Sabha Pramana UGM on Saturday (3/8) alongside an event welcoming the new students.
Bhagas said he had entered primary school at the age of 5. At grade 4, he had been offered to do an acceleration programme, which continued until his junior high school.
“But in high school, I didn’t take the acceleration programme anymore, I wanted to take the regular class, so it took me three years to complete. Had I take the acceleration, I could have been accepted at the university at the age of 14,” he said with a smile.
The young man born in Jakarta, 23 October 2003 said it felt normal to stand alongside other new UGM students. He did not find it awkward to interact with other students.
Choosing the international programme, Bhagas wanted to study in an international atmosphere, studying Biology in English language and being taught by international lecturers.
“In the future competition is at international level, so international programme like this is much needed,” he explained.
Bhagas had done his primary and junior high years like any other child. Bhagas however had joined competitions such as mathematics. While in high school, he often participated in cultural missions abroad.
“Formerly I did performances abroad when I was at 10th and 11th grades. Particularly, I played percussions,” said the son of Raski Pungkasari and Bayu Wisanto Gunawan Notomo.
The young man who believes in the take-action slogan is aspiring to be a biotech engineer and run his own company. Even so, he wants to study as normally as any other students and still wants to have fun with his fellow students.