UNAIR NEWS – Students of Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) made another achievement through the ASEAN Youth Forum: ASEAN Ecotourism 2019. Dwika Muzakka Anan Tatya and Sabrina Ashilah Salsabila students of Faculty of Humanities successfully won the first prize of ASEAN Quiz Competition 2019 held from August 29 to September 2, at Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
“I thought this forum was originally a meeting of people from various ASEAN countries. But I met many important people there, such as Indonesian Consul General in Songkla, a former minister of Songkla. Ms. Sabrina and I still couldn’t believe for winning the first prize of ASEAN Quiz Competition as we compete with many prestigious universities in ASEAN, “Dwika said.
Dwika said that he was selected as an ASEAN Youth Forum participant because he had gone through a series of selections, papers selection, interview selection by Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE), and an essay writing on ASEAN Ecotourism.
Besides getting the first prize of ASEAN Quiz Competition, Dwika also won first place for ASEAN Project in a team with other two students from other universities.
Dwika admitted that for the quiz competition, he and Sabrina taught themselves through ASEAN website, about the ins and outs of ASEAN, the ASEAN Magna Charta, and studied articles more deeply.
Dwika said there were memorable moments he had in Thailand. He did not only win the competition but also got many friends. They are humble and open to share opinions about their cultures.
“There were lots of cultures I have never encountered before in Indonesia. It is like a saying if there is one food left and the person who last eats the food will get lots of luck. At that time, I was Indonesian who ate the last. Yes, maybe that’s why I could be very lucky like this, “Dwika said.
Dwika also said that once students take part in programs or activities on an international scale, they will most likely want to take part in other programs. Because according to him, through international level activities, students will gain knowledge and insight never obtained in lecture halls.
“You can learn culture and life changing experience, it’s really valuable,” he said.
Dwika also encouraged other students who wanted to try an international standard program to frequently monitor the website https://international.unair.ac.id .
“Make sure all the papers are ready, read the steps to apply carefully, if you are confused, you can always ask further the AGE staff,” he added.
Finally, Dwika revealed that he would like to follow international programs like this in the next semester. He felt there are still many other countries to explore and learn for their cultural uniqueness. (*)
Author: Nivke Sabatimy
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
