Every limitation holds space for dreams to grow. This was proven by Anis Rahmatillah, who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) with cum laude honors, earning a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.53 while navigating the challenges of a physical disability. She received her degree at the Undergraduate and Applied Bachelor’s Graduation Ceremony on Thursday (Aug. 28) at Grha Sabha Pramana.
Having joined a biology olympiad club in high school and discovering her passion for the subject, Anis chose to pursue the program with full confidence.
Studying at the Faculty of Biology, she felt strong support from her peers and laboratory assistants, who always understood her condition and ensured she could contribute to group projects as well as field and laboratory practicums to the best of her ability.
“Honestly, in my early semesters when classes were held offline, I once thought about giving up and changing majors. But the support from friends, staff, and assistants made me feel embraced again,” she said on Monday (Sep. 1).
Her determination was also driven by the efforts of her parents and her own commitment to succeed. For Anis, graduating cumlaude is not simply a measure of intelligence, but a reflection of dedication to her chosen field and gratitude for her parents’ sacrifices in making her education possible.
In her undergraduate thesis, titled “Anatomical Response and Histochemical Analysis of Tobacco Stems (Nicotiana tabacum L. ‘Manilo’) with Nitrogen Fertilizer Addition under Drought Stress”, supervised by Dr. Maryani and funded through the Lecturer-Student Collaboration Grant (KDM) with Novita Yustinadiar, Anis explored plant adaptation mechanisms under drought conditions.
Alongside her academic research, she also served as a teaching assistant in courses such as General Biology, Plant Structure and Development, and Plant Anatomy. She was also actively involved in the Landscape Architecture Study Group.
Throughout her journey, Anis found motivation in a lyric from The 1975’s song “Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”: “If you can’t survive, just try.” The message encouraged her to keep moving forward in pursuit of her dream of becoming a graduate.
“Sometimes, as humans, we focus too much on the result, whether we survive or not. What matters more is the fact that we keep going with our days, every single day,” she reflected.
Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Professor Budi S. Daryono, applauds Anis’s achievement in completing her studies. According to Professor Daryono, her perseverance offers an important lesson that limitations are not barriers, but stepping stones to achievement.
“Anis is living proof that with determination, dedication, and belief, no dream is impossible to achieve,” he concluded.
Author: Alena Damaris
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya Arifadi
Photographs: Faculty of Biology