Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

In 2018, Palu was hit by a devastating earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction. Many people were affected by this natural disaster. One of them was Heni Ardianto (25), Management-MSc 2021, who was struggling to finish his bachelor's degree at a state university in Palu. Surviving the earthquake and tsunami was a great blessing for him.

As the son of a farm laborer in a small village in Limbo Makmur, Bumi Raya Subdistrict, Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi, it was not easy for him to migrate to Palu to pursue higher education. The family's modest economic condition made it difficult to realize Ardi's dream of studying at the university.

But with solid determination and burning enthusiasm, Ardi can achieve his dream. He has completed the Master of Science in Management program at the Faculty of Economics and Business UGM. He completed his master's degree with a GPA of 3.72 and cum laude. No less proudly, Ardi studied free of tuition fees thanks to the LPDP RI scholarship.

Ardi is the first child of Didik Iswanto (49) and Tiyarmi (45). His parents are from Prambanan, Central Java and have been trying their luck in Morowali, Central Sulawesi since 1983. They both work as farm laborers every day. Although he was born into a simple family, this did not stop Ardi from pursuing his dream of getting the best education possible. With perseverance, hard work, and the prayers of his parents, he broke the stigma that village children from remote areas outside of Java with mediocre economic conditions could study even to master's level.

"Ever since I was little, I wanted to go to college. If you look at my parents' mediocre economic conditions, it seems difficult, but I have the courage and strong determination to find out how to go to college," he explained.

He understands the situation of his parents. However, this man, born in Limbo Makmur on August 2, 1998, has a strong desire to be educated to a higher level, far beyond his parents, who completed primary school. Through education, he believes he can change lives for the better.

"Mr. and Mrs. can only get education up to primary school. I want to go to high school so that I can improve my family's conditions," he said.

Aware of his family's limited circumstances, Ardi also worked part-time while studying. He started as a teaching assistant for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, a team preparing strategic environmental studies (KLHS) in several districts in Central Sulawesi province, and a team preparing business feasibility analysis documents for several companies.

"In addition to increasing knowledge and experience, of course, it also increases one's pocket money for college," he said.

Family conditions with economic limitations always encouraged him. This situation became a trigger for him to be enthusiastic about pursuing education. He managed to join the ranks of outstanding students at school, which led him to receive educational scholarships from vocational school to master's degree. While studying at SMKN 2 Bungku Barat, he won the 1st place in the National Applied Science Olympiad of Palu Province in 2015. Previously, in 2014, he also managed to win 1st place in the Palu Province 4 Pillar Quiz Competition. Thanks to his achievements, he received an educational scholarship from the Central Sulawesi Provincial Government in 2015-106.

Then, as an undergraduate at Tadulako University, he studied for free thanks to a Bidikmisi Scholarship from the government. This scholarship is given to outstanding students from underprivileged families. During his studies, he also won first place in the 2019 essay competition at Teuku Umar University, Aceh, and second place in the 2019 essay competition at Alauddin University Makassar, South Sulawesi.

While studying for his master's degree, Ardi also actively participated in several international conferences. Some of them are the 15th Global Conference on Business and Social Sciences 2023 in Thailand, the International Conference on Business and Finance 2023 at UEH International University, Vietnam, and the 42nd EBES Conference 2023 in Lisbon.

The story of Ulfatun and Ardi is very inspiring. Although they were born into families with difficult economic conditions, they both proved that financial limitations are not an obstacle to achieving education up to university level. FEB UGM, as part of a higher education institution, has a firm commitment to achieving quality, equitable and inclusive higher education for all groups, including disadvantaged families, people with disabilities and 3T areas. This policy is implemented to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Reportage: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum