UNAIR NEWS – Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE) UNAIR successfully held a webinar titled Info Session: YSEALI Academic Fellowship Program on Wednesday (October 7, 2026). YSEALI (Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative) is a five-week program in the United States for young people aged 18–25 from Southeast Asia. It is an official US government program, and selected candidates will be fully funded.
The speaker at the webinar was Nadya Nurina Fortuna, a Master’s student in Forensic Science at UNAIR and an alumna of the 2025 YSEALI program. She had the opportunity to share her stories and experiences from the program.
Getting to know YSEALI
Fortuna explained that YSEALI gave her many valuable new experiences. “During five weeks in America, we didn’t only learn in the classroom, but also engaged directly with communities, worked on group projects, and exchanged cultures with people from Southeast Asia who have different backgrounds,” she said.
In YSEALI, Fortuna happened to choose the Civic Engagement theme. “Looking back at my background, I realized it has always been about people, communities, and contributing to them. That’s why I chose Civic Engagement out of the four themes at YSEALI,” she explained.
Bouncing back after two rejections
Fortuna revealed that she had been interested in joining YSEALI since grade 12 of senior high school. She applied twice, in 2021 and 2023, but unfortunately did not make it into the program.
“Those two rejections are part of my YSEALI journey. I believe rejection is not always the end of a story.”
In 2024, Fortuna tried applying to YSEALI again. She eventually became one of the selected candidates who departed for America in 2025.
“My advice is, don’t let repeated failure make you afraid to try again. Keep trying, because we don’t know when our luck will come,” Fortuna said.
YSEALI opens many perspectives
After her experience applying to YSEALI, Fortuna realized that candidates are selected not because of extraordinary backgrounds, but because they can show how their experiences connect to what they want to learn. “Understand your own life story, because your many experiences will be the foundation for your essay and interview,” Fortuna said.
YSEALI made Fortuna’s mind more open to different perspectives. She was also moved to contribute to society, one way being through a community she is currently running. The community focuses on skill development among women in Palangkaraya.
“We don’t have to wait until we’re ready to do something. Often we have to be braver in taking that step. Remember that everything will seem impossible until you do it.”
Author: Niken Dara Fesya
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
