by Sittie Noffaisah Pasandalan, CASS
Kyla Marie G. Ibarra, a third-year BA Political Science student and the current Mayor of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology’s (MSU-IIT) Political Science Society, has been accepted to the international students summer program Disaster Research, Community Empowerment, and Microeconomics (DREaM) of the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Ms. Ibarra is the first student from MSU-IIT to have been accepted in the DREaM-UGM.
The said international students summer program has been running since 2009 and has been attended by 465 students from 25 countries all over the world.
This year’s program, the 12th DREaM International Students Virtual Short Program 2020, has the theme “Resilience Amidst Global Pandemic.”
“I believe there is no shortcut to becoming a genuine leader of a community and an effective member of society. We must learn as much as we could and develop our skills and abilities so that we may take part in the global effort to make this world a better place,” says Ms. Ibarra when asked what motivated her to apply as a participant in the DREaM-UGM.
Aspiring to be a future public servant, Ms. Ibarra believes that one should always grab every learning opportunity especially on policy-making and strategic planning in order to be well-equipped in the future.
Like others, Ms. Ibarra’s plans have been halted due to the pandemic and she feels uncertain and anxious. However, she says no crisis will take away her persistent desire to be part of a generation “committed to bringing meaningful change.” She looks forward to learning from international speakers and experts on how to best to address current realities.
Originally designed to have international students stay on UGM’s campus and attend classes, this year’s DREaM will be conducted virtually over the course of four Fridays from November to December.
UGM, a public university, is one of the oldest and largest higher education institutions in Indonesia. It ranked 254 in the 2021 QS World Universities Rankings.
Topics : DREaM Disaster Research Community Empowerment and Microeconomics