UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga students made another remarkable achievement. Khusnul Avifah, the second-year History student, won second place at the History Fest National Essay Competition by Universitas Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
Carrying the theme: Million of Stories Behind Cultural Heritage, Ifah explored the idea of the “Cultural heritage area of Mount Penanggungan as Religious Center from 10th Century to 15th Century”. Her concern about cultural heritage management in Indonesia, especially in Mount Penanggungan, East Java sparked the idea.
“I’m fascinated with Mount Penanggungan where hundreds of cultural heritages, such as temples, punden berundak, caves, statues, petirtaan, and various other types of artifacts lie,” she said.
Furthermore, cultural heritage is an important relic in history. At that time, every cultural heritage has its function and use in supporting human culture. Ifah believed that by studying these remains, human life and civilization in the past can be traced and used as a source of historical learning.
“There are so many cultural heritages. I wrote it in my essay, what were the purposes at that time? After we learned more about the relic, we get to know how human life was in some centuries through relevant evidence,” Ifah explained.
Winning a national competition was an honor. To achieve that, she had faced a lot of challenges. The student, who actively participates in historical communities, said she had to manage her time effectively between the internal and external activities she joined.
“In joining the competition, I faced some challenges. The pretty close deadline made the writing process less prepared. On the other hand, I also have some other activities on my plate, such as the campus activity, community agenda, and assignments. It is necessary to manage the time effectively to accomplish every duty and responsibility well,” Ifah said.
After the competition, Ifah hoped to hone her writing skills, particularly in the historical context. With the initiated work, she also hoped to improve her knowledge and introduce new things about history to more people.
“I believe it’s important to train our skills by joining various competitions. No matter what the result, as long as you tried. We can also gain new insights, the ones we probably won’t get in class,” she said.
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
