Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

Monday (20/11), the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM) organized an Alumni Sharing and Mentorship Session titled "Unlock the Best in You." Held offline at the 8th-floor Auditorium of the FEB UGM Learning Center, this event was initiated by the faculty in collaboration with the Family of FEB UGM Alumni (KAFEGAMA). The purpose of this event was to provide an opportunity for alums to share their experiences with prospective FEB UGM graduates. The event began with a prayer and singing the Indonesian national anthem and the Gadjah Mada University hymn. Then, Gumilang Aryo Sahadewo, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., as the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation, and Alumni, delivered a welcoming speech.

The event then moved into a sharing session. The speakers for this session were Irwansyah Panjaitan (Master of Development Economics 2005, Assistant Deputy for Business Ecosystem Development at the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (Kemenkop UKM)) and Irma Shantia Dewi (Management 1997, Vice President of PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk). Meanwhile, the session was moderated by Anita Briana (Management 2011, CEO of MOANA Sustainable Cycling Tour). Irwansyah Panjaitan began the sharing session with tips for students regarding career choices after graduation, such as becoming a civil servant, employee, entrepreneur, or even pursuing further studies.

Specifically, the current younger generation aspires to become entrepreneurs by establishing startups. According to surveys, the aspirations of Generation Z and millennials in the Asia-Pacific region are dominated by entrepreneurship. However, entrepreneurial performance in Indonesia is still relatively low. Referring to the Global Entrepreneur Index, Indonesia ranks 5th in Southeast Asia and 75th globally.

Irwansyah also discussed the steps students should take to start a business and the business fields that can be established. He explained the stages of startup founder incubation provided by Kemenkop UKM, ranging from pre-incubation to incubation and post-incubation. Additionally, Kemenkop UKM offers a program called Entrepreneur Hub, a platform that serves as an ecosystem to support entrepreneurs in Indonesia.

The session then transitioned to a presentation by the second speaker, Irma Shantia. Irma shared tips for prospective graduates on personal branding. Branding is crucial in various aspects of life, including for students. Personal branding can be defined as how we want to be perceived and seen by others. As individuals, we have the power to create this branding.

Personal branding has several aspects, such as special features, consistency, relevance, uniqueness, and authenticity. To envision its implementation in ourselves, we must think, 'Who are we really?' This question can encompass the personal branding we want to create and the goals we want to achieve. The event concluded with a Q&A session and mentoring for prospective graduates. Graduates were divided into two groups, each guided by one of the speakers. This also marked the conclusion of today's event.

Reportage: Rizal Farizi