Makassar—Good news comes from two high-achieving students from the Library Science program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, class of 2020—Aliva Diva Kamil and Fadlan Agustina Firdaus—who distinguished themselves as presenters at the 2023 Collegial Meeting & Hybrid International Conference on Library and Information Science. The event took place in Makassar, specifically at the Ibis Makassar City Center Hotel, over three days from October 24–26, 2023.

The 2023 Collegial Meeting & Hybrid International Conference on Library and Information Science was a gathering of members of APIPTI (Indonesian Association of Library Science Higher Education). The event also featured a “Call for Papers,” which was open to participants outside of APIPTI and was known as the 2023 Hybrid International Conference on Library and Information Science. Attendees included APIPTI members, library science faculty, librarians, and library science students from various institutions.

Initially, Aliva Diva Kamil and Fadlan Agustina Firdaus took the initiative to register as participants in the “Call for Papers” because they wanted to gain new life experiences with their paper titled “Digital Literacy: How Generation Z Makes Decisions Based on Celebrities’ Opinions on Social Media.” Unexpectedly, they were selected as presenters for this event—a proud achievement not only for themselves but also for their educational institutions and their loved ones.

Aliva Diva Kamilashared her experience of how she and her collaborators were able to overcome the challenges of writing a full-length paper. In addition, she addressed funding issues by submitting a funding request to the faculty. The approach she took to overcoming challenges was “life goes on, iso ra iso kudu iso,” which means that life goes on, and whatever happens must be faced. Meanwhile, Fadlan Agustina Firdaus’s approach to facing challenges was to stay relaxed and believe that the challenges arising from whatever she had started would eventually come to an end. They motivated themselves with the conviction that what they had achieved was already extraordinary.

This experience provided invaluable lessons for Aliva Diva Kamilam and Fadlan Agustina Firdaus. Aliva Diva Kamilam received a great deal of appreciation and positive feedback, which helped her strengthen her mindset. Fadlan Agustina Firdaus, on the other hand, learned the importance of having strong self-confidence and the courage to take risks. She shared her impressions as the only undergraduate student to serve as a presenter at the event alongside her partner: “I feel very happy and grateful for this opportunity; we received high praise from the organizers and other participants during our presentation.” This comment reflects their sense of appreciation and pride in the achievements they’ve successfully attained. Of course, their success would not have been possible without the support they received from the faculty. This demonstrates that the faculty provides exceptional opportunities for students to grow and develop.

Aliva Diva Kamil hopes that this experience will serve as a stepping stone in her life to become a better person. She hopes to become someone who is braver and unafraid to face challenges. As for her future plans, if the opportunity arises, she hopes to participate in similar activities again. Fadlan Agustina Firdaus also hopes to participate again, especially in scientific activities, with the goal of giving a presentation abroad.

Authors: Dian Maulida Suhdatul Ilmi (ilm) and Nurul Azka (aka)