Behind the success of every newly admitted student who earns the opportunity to study tuition-free at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) lies an inspiring story of perseverance. The same is true for Muhammad Fathan Khairul Muna R (17). Together with his mother and older sister, Fathan has faced life’s challenges while tirelessly pursuing his dream of studying at UGM through dedication and hard work.
He wakes before dawn each day to help his mother transport the food she sells to the cafeteria at SMA Negeri 8 Pekanbaru, where she earns a living and where Fathan attended school, before putting on his uniform and spending the day as a student like any other teenager.
His mother, Rida Rahayu, became the family’s sole breadwinner by running a stall in the school cafeteria after her husband passed away. Despite their financial limitations, education has always remained the family’s highest priority.
“Since high school, I have had a strong will to go to university. I enjoy learning and meeting new people to broaden my knowledge. My mother has always supported me in everything. Even when my choices differed from what she had hoped for, she continued to support me and trusted whatever path I chose,” Fathan said on Wednesday (Jul. 1).
Fathan began preparing for his dream university as soon as he entered high school. He consistently maintained strong academic performance, as his school assessed students’ academic achievements from the first through the fifth semester. When selecting his academic concentration, he paid particular attention to economics to support his goal of enrolling in UGM’s Accounting Study Program.
Behind his academic achievements was a supportive school environment that encouraged him to participate in various competitions. One of the most memorable was the Constitutional Quiz Competition organized by Indonesia’s Constitutional Court, where he placed second at the regional level in Sumatra. During his final year of high school, Fathan also received the 4698 Scholarship, awarded by the school’s alumni association to help cover his educational expenses.
Fathan admitted that he was disappointed after experiencing several failures in various competitions. However, those experiences motivated him to continue participating in both academic and non-academic contests. For him, every failure is not the end of the journey but part of a process that he believes God uses to prepare better opportunities in the future.
“At first, I was saddened by the many defeats I experienced. But they encouraged me to keep trying and to participate in more competitions, both academic and non-academic. The principle I always hold onto is that every failure is not the end of the journey but a sign that God is preparing a better path,” he said.
Fathan’s perseverance ultimately paid off. The two people who played the greatest role in his journey were his mother and older sister. His mother always reassured him that no dream is impossible as long as he is willing to work hard, while his sister consistently provided both moral and financial support throughout his education.
Fathan is now preparing to begin a new chapter as a student at the UGM Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB UGM). Despite the many challenges he has faced, he believes that no dream is too ambitious to achieve as long as one continues striving toward it.
“If our dreams are far away, we will keep finding ways to reach them. Nothing is impossible because we are the ones who dare to dream,” he concluded.
Reporter: Shofi Hawa Anjani and Kurnia Ekaptiningrum/ FEB Public Relations
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-Editor: Priyanandaningrat