UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga has finally officially welcomed 101 international students offline after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Students, and Alumni (AMA) Prof. Dr. Bambang Sektiari Lukiswanto DEA DVM presided the welcoming and introduction event in Majapahit Room, 5th Floor, ASEEC, Dharmawangsa-B Campus UNAIR on Friday, September 9, 2022.
The 101 international students are participants of six UNAIR programs: the Academic Mobility Exchange for Undergraduate and Master at Airlangga (AMERTA) XVII, Short programs, Airlangga Development Scholarship (ADS), International Undergraduate Program (IUP), Internships, and the Developing Country Partnership (KNB).
Of 101 students, 23 are AMERTA participants, 16 Short Program participants, 4 Internship participants, 9 KNB participants, 27 IUP participants, and 30 ADS participants. All international students will take part in a series of offline programs.
Prof. Bambang, in his speech, welcomed the international students. He also introduced things related to UNAIR and put an emphasis on UNAIR’s motto, Excellence with Morality.
“We (UNAIR, ed) hope that all of you will always implement this motto in your studies next semester,” he said.
In addition, Prof. Bambang encouraged international students to be adaptive. He also encouraged cross-cultural collective communication and discussion so that they could solve today’s increasingly complex problems.
“Also, in the future, you can make beautiful memories with myriad cultural experiences you will gain here,” he said.
On that occasion, as the organizer, Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE) also collaborated with the International Students Association (ISA). The international students can interact and collaborate in the association, especially regarding educational, cultural, and social issues.
Student impression
Some international students also shared their impressions and testimonies on UNAIR. One of them was Mohammad Morai, an international student in the Electrical Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multi-discipline (FTMM).
Morai said that he is impressed with his experiences while studying at UNAIR, including when he is on UNAIR campus. He feels there are a lot of uniqueness.
“I am very happy to study at UNAIR. It’s excellent, the lecturers are very professional. They help me every time, especially AGE, which has helped a lot,” he recalled.
Morai also said he had attended Indonesian language training for a year at UNAIR Language and Multi-Cultural Center. He also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity so he could study at UNAIR and meet other students from around the world.
The 101 international program students are from various countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The students’ countries of origin include Malaysia, Cambodia, Taiwan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. Also, from the African countries: Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.
Author: Sintya Alfafa
Editor: Feri Fenoria
