A total of 1,760 prospective graduates of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) attended a briefing session for undergraduate and applied undergraduate candidates for Period III of the 2024/2025 academic year on Tuesday (May. 19) at the second floor of Grha Sabha Pramana UGM. The event was held one day before the undergraduate graduation ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, May 20-21, 2025. On this occasion, the briefing was delivered by Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin, Chair of the Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI) for the 2024-2029 period.
Sultan shared his experiences as a practitioner in his field. He emphasized that graduation is not solely about completing one’s studies but about transitioning from theory to reality. Many things differ between what is learned in the classroom and the realities of the professional world.
“And often, reality does not unfold according to the proposals you may have imagined,” he remarked.
According to him, graduation is not the end of education but rather the first day when graduates are tested in a more realistic environment. He explained that while poor grades can usually be improved during college, decisions in the professional world may have far-reaching consequences.
“Wrong decisions in business, in the workplace, or within society can have significant impacts,” he explained.
The challenges graduates will face are no longer confined to written examinations but involve greater responsibilities, pressures, and real-world demands. Sultan noted that life after graduation is far more complex and demanding than campus life. However, he stressed that this is precisely where true leadership begins, and the nation needs its best people.
He encouraged them to prepare role models or concrete plans for what they intend to pursue from this point onward. He urged them to prepare for their future as carefully as possible.
“Start thinking about your future and your life goals. Do not be like us in the past. I was still living by accident, shaped more by circumstances than by design or planning,” he said.
He further reminded the students not only to develop hard skills, but also soft skills such as integrity and emotional intelligence, especially amid growing competition from artificial intelligence and increasingly advanced technologies.
Furthermore, Sultan encouraged the graduands not merely to focus on finding jobs but also to create innovation, build businesses and companies, and strengthen competitiveness by mastering technology and digitalization.
Finally, he advised UGM prospective graduates not only to strive for success but also to become individuals who benefit others, while persevering and remaining confident.
“Do not aspire merely to become successful people, but aspire to become useful people, useful to your friends, useful to society, useful to the nation, and useful to your faith,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, UGM Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, congratulated the students who will soon graduate and warmly welcomed the briefing session. Dr. Sujito expressed hope that the graduands would gain a deeper understanding of skill development as preparation for entering the workforce, particularly for those entering professional careers.
“Why are these skills important? Because UGM alumni must become individuals who create impact and contribute positively to solving national problems. Therefore, they must possess strong conditions, capacities, and character, agile, adaptive, innovative, collaborative, capable problem solvers, and equipped with self-leadership,” he concluded.
Author: Leony
Post-editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photo: Donnie