UNAIR NEWS – Gading Ekapuja Aurizki, S.Kep., Ns., must be proud of himself. He received a full scholarship from the United States government to attend the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship at University of Massachusetts (UMass), Amherst.
Gading as a staff of Faculty of Nursing Universitas Airlangga, with twenty youngsters from eight countries in Southeast Asia, attended the five-week “Civic Engagement ” course from 2 September to 8 October 2017.
It was not easy for Gading to qualify for the event. Gading admitted that the selection of President Barack Obama’s program was very strict and competitive. Selection of paperwork and interview was done by the United States Embassy in Indonesia along with its general consulate.
“About a thousand young people from all over Indonesia, aged 18-25, had registered and only twenty-five people were elected,” he said. “Alhamdulillah, it is all because of  my colleague supports in Faculty of Nursing,” he added.
During the program, the former vice chairman of BEM KM UNAIR 2014 was invited to see firsthand how the American society solve various problems. Gading also explained that the lectures followed with dozens of representatives from ASEAN countries were concerned about community empowerment, leadership, citizenship, culture, environment and civil rights.
“So, this event works as a form of cooperation between USA and ASEAN. Alumni of the activities are expected to bring a solution to solve problems in their respective countries, “he explained.
After attending the program, Gading revealed that many things can be applied in campus. A good learning method, for example. According to him, the discussion in the class during the program was really active.
“Lectures are not just one way. There is a two-way communication with the students. If here, we are often too dependent on lecturers, “explained Gading.
In the end, he revealed that in order to build on progress and solve the nation’s problems, a change of mindset becomes the fundamental thing that Gading wants to apply. He also stressed that Indonesia actually has a lot of capital to become a great nation.
“We have a lot of cultural heritage, even more than America. Only, we must know how to build Indonesia from this culture that we have, “he concluded.
Author: Nuri Hermawan
Editor: Feri Fenoria
