Ni Putu Dinda Regina (18) couldn’t stop wiping her tears. She was grateful to be accepted into Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). She had planned to apply for a job in a store due to her family’s financial situation, which relied on the meager income from weaving bamboo baskets, making it challenging to afford her college education.
Fortunately, her school counselor advised her to apply for college while seeking scholarship opportunities. Regina took that advice.
Regina’s family lives in the hilly area of Tigawasa Village, Buleleng Regency, Bali Province. This area is known for its water scarcity. Every day, each family in the village must fetch water from a distance of about 5 kilometers.
Regina’s family uses a simple bathroom outside their house, even for basic sanitary needs. The walls are made of old asbestos sheets, and the floor is made of roughly arranged old bricks. Broken roof tiles serve as the toilet bowl.
Despite the difficult living conditions, Regina persevered and has dreamed of becoming a legal advocate since childhood. She was accepted into the UGM Faculty of Law (FH UGM) with 100% subsidized tuition.
Regina shared her story when a team of reporters met her at her house, which had brick walls and very modest furnishings. The small, elongated living room was filled with almost-finished bamboo baskets. A small table by the entrance served as Regina’s study area.
Regina admitted that it still felt like a dream to her that she had been accepted into FH UGM. She had never imagined a village girl from the remote hills could enter one of Indonesia’s prestigious universities. Because of her disbelief, she even hid her college application process from her friends at school.
“I didn’t think I would go to college; I planned to work first and then think about college later,” she recalled.
Regina still remembers telling her mother, Ni Kadek Nely Supriyati (43), about her intention to apply for college and assuring her that she would apply for scholarships to cover the costs.
“What if you don’t get the scholarship?” her mother asked.
“But I want to try first, Mom.”
Her mother never opposed her child’s wishes. Despite their earnings from bamboo weaving only being enough for daily needs and motorcycle fuel for Regina’s school commute to SMAN 1 Singaraja, 17 kilometers from home, she supported her daughter’s ambition.
“Every three days, I got 50,000 rupiahs for fuel to ride with a friend to school,” Regina said.
Regina was known as a bright student at school. She frequently topped her class and scored 9 in geography and economics.
“For three years, I was often second in class and once fourth, but my grades kept improving,” she said.
Regina relied on workbooks bought at school to support her studies, while textbooks were provided for free. She studied for 1-2 hours before bed after helping her mother with the evening weaving.
“I start studying around 8 PM after helping my mother,” she said.
Despite their simple life, Regina never demanded much from her parents, especially since her father, I Gede Suastra Jaya (44), had a mild stroke a few years ago. He now helps his wife with weaving and sells gasoline in front of their house.
Regina vividly remembers not being too excited to check her phone on the day of the college acceptance announcement because she didn’t expect to pass. She thought she might attend a state university in Bali even if she did.
“I wasn’t confident, so I didn’t tell my friends, and the website was down,” she recalled.
A few hours later, Regina checked the SNBP announcement site. She was surprised to see her name listed as accepted into UGM’s Law program.
“I got in, Dad,” she told her father.
“In Bali?”
“No, in Jogja.”
Regina’s parents were overjoyed that their eldest child was accepted into a state university.
“What about the cost, dear,” her father asked.
“Just waiting for the (scholarship) announcement,” she replied.
Regina said her parents were happy but couldn’t hide their worry about her future college expenses. However, her mother couldn’t contain her happiness when she learned Regina received the 100 percent subsidized tuition from UGM.
“I’m very grateful she can study at UGM, especially with the scholarship,” she said with tears of joy.
The UKT subsidy significantly alleviated their financial burden. Supriyati admitted that their income from weaving bamboo baskets barely suffices for their daily needs.
They could finish 3 to 4 bamboo baskets daily, which they sold to collectors for 20,000 rupiahs each. After deducting material costs, they earned a net profit of about 15,000 rupiahs per basket.
“I make 500,000 rupiahs monthly; my husband makes about a million. So together, we make about 1.5 million rupiahs,” she said.
As villagers living in the hills, Supriyati admitted she knew little about UGM, only hearing from TV or neighbors that she was lucky her daughter got into such a prestigious university.
“They say getting into UGM is not easy; it’s for chosen people,” she said.
As parents, Nely didn’t have high expectations for her daughter, especially since she and her husband only finished junior high school. Now, she can only pray that Regina achieves her dreams and aspirations.
“We can’t give her much. Hopefully, she will succeed in her studies and fulfill her hopes,” she said.
Author: Gusti Grehenson