Semarang – Diponegoro University’s Bachelor of Communication Studies Program has held an online webinar on Saturday (21/11) . This webinar has been done to describe a career as a researcher and lecturer to Communication Science students after graduating from University.

The three speakers in this webinar are alumni of Diponegoro University’s Bachelor of Communication Studies Program, who is currently a lecturer at another university. One of the three speakers is Dr. Phil. Y. Bambang Wiratmojo, S. SOS., MA who is a lecturer of the communications studies program at Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University (UAJY).

Bambang Wiratmojo opens this webinar with a topic called “A Scholarship-Hunter”. The story of him received at the second option of UMPTN which is Communication Science of Diponegoro University became the first topic that he talked about.

“There’s a feeling of disappointment, why is the second option not the first option? Even though I grew up in Semarang and I want to go out of town, away from my parents, away from my family,” said Bambang. He had previously said that his first choice was International Relations of Gadjah Mada University.

Bambang felt that communication was the new science and only had a few lecturers. However, his father said that this was Bambang’s chance to be a lecturer in the future. At that time Bambang evasive, he said that he didn’t want to be a lecturer. He also shares this story on his Facebook page in order to celebrate 63rd Dies Natalis of Diponegoro University.

In his humble opinion, he wasn’t an honor student in university. He studies over again communications theory twice. Furthermore, Bambang claims the GPA he has acquired is also not too impressive. Bambang began his deep study of Communications Science when he joined the research and project of Undip lecturers.

In his last year of university, Bambang had the opportunity to become an assistant lecturer of a basic computer program for D3 Public Relations. “From there, I thought of continuing my study,” said Bambang.

To continue his education, Bambang needs money. At that time, information about scholarships could not be accessed freely. He then created a Yahoo account to send emails to several embassies in Indonesia to get the information he needed.

“I wrote a letter, I typed a letter and I sent it to some embassies in Indonesia, the American embassy, the German embassy, the British embassy. All I asked was, ‘I want to ask you, I am in senior year, I want to study and looking for a scholarship. Do your country have a scholarship?’ They responded well, although not said there was a scholarship,” said Bambang.

Armed with a bachelor’s certificate, Bambang worked for an advertising agency for about a year before becoming a communications lecturer at Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University (UAJY).

“I am always happy to meet young people in university, maybe the age gap not too far at the time, but once again, relationships were so different between private company and university. So, the university was more egalitarian,” said Bambang.

Although he has already become a university lecturer, Bambang still continues his scholarship hunt. The journey was not easy. He got rejected. He had been rejected by AusAID (Australian Aid) three times, one time rejected by Chevening (UK Government’s Global Scholarship Programme), one time rejected by AMINEF (American Indonesian Exchange Foundation), and one time rejected by DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst).

His perseverance was paid off in 2005 when Bambang received the German DAAD scholarship and began studying in October 2006 at Ilmenau University of Technology. After graduating from Ilmenau, Bambang back homes to Indonesia and teach at UAJY.

In 2010, bambang returned to search for a scholarship to continue his doctorate. With his intellectual and German language certificate, Bambang received a scholarship from DIKTI and continued his doctorate at Hamburg University.

At the end of the presentation, he presented a quote that motivated him to move up to this stage.

“Don’t be afraid to dream … Because all things in this world begin from a dream…”

 Writer: Dinda Khansa Berlian