One of the goals of sustainable development in point four is quality education, which includes ten targets to be achieved by 2030. One of these targets is to ensure that all learners, regardless of gender, acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development and lifestyles and globally increase scholarships for students from developing countries to enroll in higher education in advanced countries.
In line with this, on Monday (May 27), the Department of Development Geography, UGM Faculty of Geography (Geography UGM), held the 101st SDGs Seminar Series with the theme “Becoming Sustainability Agents from University.” The seminar, conducted online via Zoom, was also broadcast live on YouTube and Instagram story.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Geog. Dodi Widiyanto, Head of the Regional Development program, stated that increasingly complex development will force people to improve their quality of life and continuously adapt to changing times.
“Students, as the productive age group, have a responsibility to become driving agents and change agents in the nation’s sustainability,” he said.
He added that university can be a great opportunity for students to enhance their potential and abilities.
During the sharing session, Najwa Nur Awalia, a student of Environmental Geography, was invited to be a speaker. Awalia, UGM’s Outstanding Student of 2024 and Regional Outstanding Student of 2024 shared her experiences of becoming a sustainability agent by optimizing her college years, even during the pandemic.
“In 2021, I had the opportunity to participate in a competition in Turkey. The funding was ready, but it was still uncertain whether I could go because of COVID,” she revealed.
Considering the valuable experience she would gain, Awalia ultimately decided to go.
From her many experiences, Awalia cultivated personal growth. She shaped herself to be resilient, have a growth mindset, be open, and find a supportive environment and good mentors to create self-improvement. During competitions, she noted several factors to achieve good scores during judging.
“Be true, be the best version of yourself, be active but not dominating, and always be someone who can expand relationships,” she advised.
Awalia added that time management is a unique challenge for students. In time management, the first thing to establish is priorities. Priorities dictate the main steps to be taken or prioritized.
One technique that can be applied is Pareto Analysis, which states that 80% of the desired results can be achieved with 20% effort. This does not mean minimizing effort but focusing on the established priorities.
In conclusion, Awalia emphasized that as students, it is essential to realize that the opportunity to learn is a privilege. Hence, it needs to be maximized and optimized. Students must also recognize that learning opportunities provide opportunities to explore new things, so it is worth trying.
The final session of the seminar included an interactive discussion with participants, comprising students, lecturers from various public and private universities across Indonesia, government officials, the private sector, SDGs practitioners, and the general public.
Author: Triya Andriyani