Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) has proven to be a life changing experience for its awardees. Annika Fathma Indra, an UPH Online Learning Communications Science (Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh Ilmu Komunikasi) student, is among those awardees.   

IISMA is one of Kampus Merdeka programs initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemendikbudristek) that provides Indonesian students a chance to study one semester worth 20 credits abroad at top universities and reputable industries overseas fully funded. Meaning registration and tuition fees, settlement and living allowance, economy airfare, and visa are funded by the government. 

Sitting down with Annika, we learned that studying abroad has always been on her wishlist. Because of that, a year prior IISMA application opened, Annika has been keeping herself well informed. She prepared the mandatory requirements such as English proficiency certificate, academic transcript, CV and cover letter.  

During the application process, Annika managed to showcase her passion and skills well by highlighting her internship experience in magazines as well as using her published articles for the portfolio.  

Accepted into University of York 

After being granted the IISMA scholarship, Annika lived her dream of studying and gaining more achievements abroad. She was accepted at University of York. 

“It checked all of my wishlist,” she recalled. “I got to choose the courses and participated in the non-academic activities that were in line with my passion.” IISMA allows awardees to take three to four courses with one compulsory course included, called intercultural Competency, Employability and Academic Skills. 

Because of her past experiences involving several passion projects such as scriptwriting, theater, and journalism, she decided to study film and television production and interactive media 

For Annika, it is clear that being able to study subjects that she truly loves is a pure bliss. “These courses are memorable not only because of my passion, but also because of many valuable opportunities. I had an award winning screenwriter as my seminar lecturer, and even got roles in several short films as a talent with professionally built sets,” she shared. 

Outside of her academic hours, Annika also participated as a fashion editor on the student newspaper, which is also the oldest society at the University of York, called Nouse. In her role as an editor, she managed to get her articles published and featured on the magazine’s cover.  

Recalling her journey as a student abroad, Annika credits UPH Global Partnerships and International Office for being on hand throughout the whole process, helping her prepare the documents needed without any hassle. Annika’s life motto is: Be the best version of yourself. She certainly is a living proof that hard work won’t betray you. 

You can browse one of her articles titled “ROMANSA Brings Traditional Indonesian Fashion to York ” here.