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Alifia Anindita: It is Better to be Sick Because of Learning than Because of Limitations
Part 2 of 2 articles
At USTC, Alifia takes the Communication Policy and Popularization Study Program, School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The purposed research is “The Role of Indonesian Media in Driving Public Sentiment Towards the Indonesia-China Cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative Project”. According to her, this is a very suitable field for her academic journey and career so far. She studied for the undergraduate in Communication Study Program, Master in Public Policy, and then the doctoral is a combination of the two, which added with her work experience as a journalist, expert staff at the House of Representatives, and at the Kominfo RI. “This is very much in line with my interests. Plus, the trend of digital society, which cannot be separated from online activities. So this will be very strategic. That is why I deepened the field of public policy in the realm of popularization, human behavior, and social media algorithms," she said.
Trying to Contribute More
In order to get her doctoral scholarship, Alifia went through a very long selection process for approximately 6 months. The stages were file selection, interview, research interest explanation, then presentation. After feeling she was a promising candidate, the university then recommended her as the awardee of a scholarship from the Chinese Government.
Alifia said that many documents needed to be collected, including the presentation materials. Collecting them is very energy-consuming. However, she did everything to the maximum. From video submission to research proves that she is worthy and is a promising student who will contribute to the world. "In addition, I also have the experience that is suitable and in accordance with the field I am applying for," she added. All of this she did in order to achieve her goal, which is to be useful for many people, make her family proud, contribute to the environment and country, and be a field of reward for her.
Alifia's current activities, apart from pursuing doctoral education, are also journalists at one of the news TV stations in Indonesia. Not only that, together with her friends, she is building an educational platform called Edupoli. She also took part in the project and worked as an expert in one of the flagship programs of the Kominfo RI. Another activity is volunteering with the World Association of Indonesian Students (PPI) for the Oceania Region.
Alifia's Important Message
"For my junior, PresUniv students, especially new students from batch 2021, who may have started planning for your future or even aspire to continue their studies abroad, try to deepen your research. What will the future challenges and global trends look like in the next 20 or 30 years. What fields are relevant and what innovations are prospective,” that is Alifia's message to her juniors at PresUniv.
Change moves so fast. According to Alifia, only people who are visionary and able to read opportunities can adapt to change. Courage to succeed is a mental issue and struggle to overcome limitations, some of which we create ourselves. So, she said encouragingly, dream high, try as hard as you can no matter how difficult life is. "It is better to be sick because of learning than to be sick because of limitations," she said.
Alifia's advice, after setting their goals, students need to apply the right lifestyle. She said, “Try always to read four books every month, apart from textbooks. It is so that students' knowledge becomes wider and more open. Diligently exercise so that the body is always in shape and has enough stamina to work and study. Then, do voluntary activities, especially those that have an impact on the social environment. Build a career and work to be useful for Indonesia.” (Silvia Desi Betrice, PR team. Photo: Alifia)
