UMS International Student Wins 3rd Place in ISS-UM iFest Essay

As it enters its 63rd year, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) continues to demonstrate its excellence through both institutional achievements and the progress of its academic community. Recently recognized as the third best Islamic university in the world, UMS is also celebrating the successes of its students. Khalid Wamala, an international student at UMS, secured third place in the Essay Competition category at ISS-UM iFest and Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology 2021.

The man from Uganda is enrolled as a civil engineering master’s student. As part of its collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, the State University of Malang (UM) organized UM iFest in 2021. This year, UM iFest is aligned with the Ministry’s program for Developing Country Partnership Scholarship (KNB Scholarship) and the International Student Summit (ISS).

“This is the second time the Ministry has entrusted UM to organize the ISS. This year, the event has been renamed ISS-UM iFest 2021 to signify its significance,” stated Alex, the BKUI UMS staff member who accompanied Khalid Wamala.

According to him, the program, conducted in two phases, includes a language and cultural orientation for new scholarship recipients and an enrichment program for past recipients. The first phase of ISS-UM iFest 2021 was dedicated to the 2021 KNB Scholarship recipients. Held from August 23 to 25, 2021, it featured a basic Indonesian language course and elective courses covering culinary arts and cultural topics.

In another segment, Dr. Waluyo Adisiswanto, Head of the Office of Collaboration and International Affairs, revealed details about the competition, which included categories such as Essay, Speech, News Reading, Vlog, and Video Clip. The registration and workshop activities took place from August to October 29, 2021, with project submissions due October 30, 2021. The competition was open to all KNB students from various countries. “Alhamdulillah, Khalid Wamala secured 3rd place in the Essay Competition category. We submitted the project just one day before the deadline,” said Waluyo.

In a separate meeting, Khalid expressed his pride and gratitude, notably since this competition marked his debut in Indonesia. “I would like to thank Allah for this overwhelming moment. This is my first time to win anything in any competition in Indonesia. I am so happy I did not let my university (UMS) down this time. I look forward to inspiring other competitors in my university to never give up because anyone from anywhere can win. Thank you so much,” Khalid remarked. 

Writer: Public Relations

Translator: Farizal