UNAIR NEWS – Perseverance to realize her dreams brought Prasherly Anura Dinda, student of the Faculty of Dental Medicine (FKG) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) to Greece. The student, known well as Sherly, got the opportunity to study at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the biggest and best university in Greece. It is also one of the two Greek universities that offers a dental program. Moreover, there are more foreign students studying here than students from Thessaloniki.
Strong determination to achieve her dream
Ever since she was a child, Sherly wanted to study abroad. She wanted to study in Europe. But FKG UNAIR only collaborates with a few Asian universities including Japan. Therefore, Sherly kept trying to find opportunities to go to Europe.
Sherly admitted that she had entered several competitions, such as IISMA, but was unsuccessful. It did not diminish her commitment to study abroad. She still tried to find a lot of information about studying abroad. Eventually, Sherly found scholarship information through Airlangga Hubs.
“By the way, last year I participated in IISMA, but I was not lucky. Then I tried to find other ways and finally found information on Airlangga Hubs for an exchange to Greece. And luckily, the University of Thessaloniki in Greece opened up opportunities for dental students, so I took the opportunity,” she said.
During the selection process, Sherly added that she had made a thorough preparation by attending various exchange mentoring and seminars. She admitted that her only difficulty was obtaining a visa. It required Sherly to travel back and forth between Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta.
Life as an international student
Thessaloniki is the oldest city in Greece, dating back to 2300 AD. Living in an apartment, walking to campus with fresh air makes Sherly feel comfortable in this city.
Furthermore, the campus environment is excellent for Sherly to study. She gets not only theoretical experience, but also hands-on experience with patients.
“It is great to meet and learn from other international students. I can also go directly to the clinic to see patients, and to my surprise, the patients here are very friendly because they know I am a foreign student and they give me good food suggestions,” she said.
Sherly added that the campus environment is also very conducive to learning. Everyone around her loves their profession, especially in the field of dentistry, many students use all the dental equipment. It shows their love and strong commitment to their profession.
Tips for achieving dreams
Traveling to Greece and studying at a prestigious university was certainly not easy for Sherly. She had to work hard to get the opportunity to go abroad.
Sherly also had to be willing to leave her friends and family in Indonesia. She had to travel to Greece alone, but that did not stop her from pursuing her dreams.
“Never be afraid to try new things, if there is an opportunity, just take it. No need to be afraid of being alone, start first and look for relationships,” she added.
Author: Marshafyennda Scarbella
Editor: Feri Fenoria
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