Since her husband passed away five years ago, Teluning (41) has had to support her extended family by selling cireng, a traditional Sundanese snack made from deep-fried tapioca flour. Her income from selling cireng is not much, around IDR 900,000 per month.
Although she lives in Tompeyan, Tegalrejo, Yogyakarta City, Teluning chooses to sell cireng in Purworejo, in front of her late husband’s house, which is rarely occupied.
Almost every day, she commutes from Yogyakarta to Purworejo.
Fortunately for Teluning, she has an only child, Artita Lindu Rilawati (19), who is accustomed to being independent.
Moreover, Rilawati lives with her grandmother, grandfather, and aunt.
“I remember my husband’s message then, to care for and raise Rilawati wholeheartedly,” Teluning said with teary eyes on Tuesday (Jun. 24).
She recounted that, since childhood, Rilawati has been independent and has had high aspirations.
She only found out that Rilawati had applied to UGM after she was already accepted.
“Indeed, since childhood, as the only grandchild, Rilawati was always at home. She was also independent; suddenly she got accepted into UGM, I wasn’t even aware,” Teluning recalled.
As an only child, Rilawati is the only grandchild who prefers to be active at home with her grandmother, grandfather, and aunt.
Since her late husband’s passing in 2020, Rilawati’s mother has been selling cireng daily in Purworejo to support the family.
Almost daily, the Yogyakarta-Purwokerto commute often made her lose time with Rilawati.
“I felt like I lost time together, because I had to leave early in the morning and return late at night,” Teluning said.
Artita Lindu Rilawati was admitted to the Social Development and Welfare Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Fisipol UGM), through the academic excellence-based entrance selection (SNBP) pathway.
Besides being accepted without a test, Rilawati also received a 100% subsidized Excellent Education Single Tuition Fee (UKT) scholarship, or UKT zero, from Universitas Gadjah Mada.
Both Rilawati and her mother were quite surprised and grateful to receive a 100% UKT subsidy scholarship from UGM.
Rilawati expressed gratitude for the opportunity to study for free.
“I am very grateful; it can lighten my mother’s burden of funding my studies later,” Rilawati said.
Rilawati admitted that she had wanted to attend the ‘Blue Campus’ since high school.
Armed with strong determination and diligence in studying, she consistently achieved top ranks in her class.
She even graduated from SMAN 2 Yogyakarta with satisfactory grades. One of her favorite subjects is Indonesian history.
According to Rilawati, there’s a unique joy in understanding the patterns of Indonesian society’s development from the colonial era to the reform era.
However, Rilawati also made sure to improve grades in other subjects. She even has her own daily study strategy.
“Usually, I practice problems using books and my phone, every day in this living room,” Rilawati said, showing her desk filled with exercise books and formulas.
As an accomplished student, Rilawati also has an interest in art. She enjoys drawing and painting amidst her intensive studies.
Not only that, but Rilawati is also actively involved in traditional dance activities at school.
She fondly remembers performing the Harmoni Nusantara dance at a school event and the Kecak dance at another school event.
Her most memorable performance, according to Rilawati, was when she was given the opportunity to perform the Blantek dance from Betawi at Museum Benteng Vredeburg, Yogyakarta.
For her, the atmosphere at that time was very different from that in previous performances.
“If before this it was in schools, so the nuance was familiar, but at Vredeburg, I was more nervous because the audience was from outside,” Rilawati recalled.
Due to her interest in dance, Rilawati plans to join a Student Activity Unit (UKM) in the arts that accommodates this hobby.
She conveyed to her fellow students that they should not give up due to economic constraints. Anyone can achieve their dreams with strong determination and prayer.
“Don’t hesitate and don’t be afraid, friends, because whatever you strive for, there will always be a way,” Rilawati concluded.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie