UNAIR NEWS – Vinnie Quartasyeba Tarigan, an undergraduate student in the Data Science Technology student from the Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidiscipline (FTMM), Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), has earned the opportunity to study at Korea University. She successfully passed the selection process for the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) Co-Funding 2024, an initiative by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbud-Ristek).

Tarigan shared that participating in a student exchange program had been her plan since her first semester. “Participating in IISMA or other exchange programs has been my goal since my first semester. This year’s IISMA is my second attempt after failing in 2023,” she stated.

At Korea University, she chose several courses relevant to her field of interest, such as Data Science in Healthcare, Financial Analytics, Regression Analysis, and Introduction to Management Information Systems. “The syllabi of these courses are closely related to Data Science. So, I am keen to learn more and apply this knowledge when I return to Indonesia,” Tarigan explained.

Challenges pursuing exchange program

In 2023, Vinnie applied for IISMA but unfortunately, she faced a failure. She quickly recovered from this setback and began preparing again for IISMA 2024.

“Although I didn’t pass IISMA 2023, I got the chance to join one of my dream international organizations, AIESEC. From there, I became more determined to try again for IISMA 2024,” Tarigan said.

The following year, Tarigan applied again for the regular IISMA program, hoping to receive a full scholarship. However, she faced another rejection. “The night after the announcement, I couldn’t sleep at all. It felt like there was no hope left for me to go on an exchange,” Tarigan recalled.

Support from her family, especially her parents, was the source of strength. She shared that her parents always assured her that she could achieve her dreams in other ways.

A few weeks later, Tarigan learned about the IISMA Co-Funding program, which offered new hope. Despite her initial doubts due to past failures, she decided to try again with a different university choice. This effort paid off, and Vinnie was accepted at Korea University.

In the end, she hopes to make the most of her learning opportunity to gain more knowledge about Data Science. “I hope to be a positive influence wherever I am. In Korea, I hope to gain a lot of knowledge and help many people. When I return to Indonesia, I aim to share the knowledge from my experiences,” Tarigan concluded.

Author: Venni Tanujaya

Editor: Yulia Rohmawati