UNAIR NEWS – Another proud achievement was achieved by Dwi Retno Puspitasari, a professional student of the Faculty of Pharmacy (FF) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR). After successfully winning the title of 2021 East Java Cultural Ambassador, Retno managed to win the title of Runner Up 1, Best Talent, and Intelligence Ambassador at the 2022 Indonesian Cultural Ambassador event.
As interviewed by the UNAIR NEWS team on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, Retno said that she is proud that the preparations for the past two months had resulted in an amazing achievement for herself and for East Java. Even though she has not managed to bring home the winning crown for East Java, Retno believes that she has done her best.
She added, since she was chosen as the winner of the 2021 East Java Cultural Ambassador, she assumed the responsibility of bringing the name of East Java to the national event. The East Java representative went through various preparations before advancing to the 2022 Indonesian Cultural Ambassador competition in Yogyakarta. The preparation included designing and carrying out advocacy, honing her dancing skills as a real act of preserving local culture in the field of traditional dance, and improving the ability for the catwalk.
“Starting from January 20-23, we conducted selection and quarantine stages. One of the most difficult selections I felt was the deep interview. However, I could deal with it well, of course, by preparing materials about culture and general insights in advance. Besides, I controlled myself to stay calm so that during the interview I could convey my thoughts well to be easily understood,” she explained.
The student, who is known to be an active dancer in UKTK UNAIR, also showed her dance talent. In the event, Retno performed 5 East Java dances: Sekarsari Dance from Malang, Gelang Room Dance from Madura, Jathilan Dance from Ponorogo, Cunduk Menur from Banyuwangi, and Sparkling Dance from Surabaya. She performed all five dances in 5 minutes.
“Within 5 minutes, I wanted to take the audience to visit five areas in East Java through a dance,” she said.
Retno hoped that by being part of the Indonesian Cultural Ambassador, she could be at the forefront to raise the spirit of the younger generation to love Indonesian culture more and learn about local culture together. She also hoped that she could introduce local culture to the wider community.
“Hopefully, this achievement can trigger the enthusiasm of my friends to achieve higher achievements. Never get tired of the process, as this process will shape us into a great person. Keep innovating on whatever field you fit the best,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Alysa Intan Santika
Editor: Feri Fenoria
