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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen a Student Almost \u201cLeapt\u201d Abroad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the earliest stories she shared involved a student studying overseas. The student\u2019s promoter, a senior professor, once invited the student to stand on the top floor of the building where they worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook outside,\u201d the foreign professor said. \u201cYou live in a country like paradise. But you never know what\u2019s happening outside.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The promoter reminded the student that the outside world is full of challenges. Studying abroad is not only about theories and publications, but also about life, adaptation, the urge to give up, and the temptation to escape reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe told me, You have to guide your student with your heart,\u201d the professor recalled. From that moment, she learned that academic supervision is never sufficient without empathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Devout Student Shivering in a Snowy Country<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another story involved a devout male student who went abroad to study while still single. He was interviewed with his professor sitting beside him, offering encouragement. Before departure, the professor advised him to maintain his religious practices but not to push himself excessively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three months later, the overseas promoter contacted her. The student had insisted on fasting throughout winter, walking long distances to the mosque at night, until his physical condition deteriorated significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease tell him to stop overdoing it,\u201d the promoter pleaded. The professor gently explained to the student that maintaining health is also a form of gratitude. \u201cGod is not small,\u201d she told him. \u201cSimply living there is already an act of courage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two years later, the student returned with another unexpected story: he planned to marry his junior. He did not even have enough money for a ring. The professor helped him using her personal funds. Later, when the couple\u2019s first child was born overseas, the wife was assisted by friends of different religions. \u201cPeople are kind regardless of religion,\u201d the student said upon returning to Indonesia\u2014a life lesson never written in any curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Kind Supervisor Who \u201cTurned into a Devil\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another case was equally complex. A student refused to withdraw as long as the promoter was replaced\u2014even though the promoter had been personally chosen by the student.\n\u201cHe was kind during my master\u2019s degree,\u201d the student said. \u201cNow he\u2019s like a devil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conflict escalated to the rectorate. Communication between lecturer and student collapsed into mutual distrust. Once again, the program head had to intervene\u2014mediating, calming tensions, and untangling problems she had never initiated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Student with Two Personalities: Midnight Screams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Among all the stories she shared, the most exhausting involved a direct-entry master\u2019s-to-doctoral student whose promoter was assigned by the department. Coming from outside Java, the student appeared quiet outwardly, but under stress, the situation became extreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe often consulted late at night,\u201d the professor recalled. \u201cWhen he panicked, he would suddenly scream loudly\u2014his voice echoing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychologists had to intervene, not only for the student but also for the supervisory team. The student frequently lied, altered research data, and pretended to cry. Dr. Retno even explained scientifically the difference between genuine tears and fake ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were confused\u2014does this student have two personalities or what?\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes we felt sorry, but we also had to be firm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Countless Other Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n She had encountered students who were starving, whose families were torn apart by divorce, whose homes were surrounded by political party supporters, to those who arrived on campus with drivers and assistants but were unable to read academic journals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some students never studied at home because they had toddlers, yet wanted to graduate quickly without adequate academic preparation. Others arrived with aristocratic airs, their bags and books prepared by assistants. There were also those who cried because they felt \u201cthey belonged to no one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each day brought new stories, and not all ended happily. Yet every story left a deep mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ten Difficult Years, Yet Meaningful<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The professor closed her reflection with the sentence she had never forgotten since her first day as program head:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGuide your student with your heart.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ten years is not a short time. Some succeeded, some lost their way, some needed to be embraced, others needed firm correction. From all these journeys, she learned one essential truth: postgraduate education is not merely about producing academics, but about accompanying human beings as they discover and confront themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the professor, it was a responsibility she would never regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Reporter: Andri Wicaksono, S.Sos., M.I.Kom. | Photo: Fajar Budi Harsakti, SE)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Menghela nafas panjang, matanya menerawang jauh, seakan kembali menelusuri lorong-lorong waktu yang telah ia lalui selama lebih dari satu dekade. \u201cSaya baru benar-benar mengerti,\u201d katanya perlahan, ‘bahwa membimbing mahasiswa bukan hanya soal ilmu. Itu soal hati’, kata Prof. Dr. drg. Widowati Siswomihardjo, MS yang akrab disapa Prof. Bundi disela-sela acara workshop penguatan karakter mahasiswa doktor\/S3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":16580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[298,307,291],"class_list":["post-16579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berita-terbaru","tag-sdg-10-mengurangi-ketidaksetaraan","tag-sdg-17-kemitraan-untuk-mencapai-tujuan","tag-sdg-4-pendidikan-berkualitas"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fkg.ugm.ac.id\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2025\/12\/image-9.jpeg\")
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