Today, 28 October 2026, Indonesia marks the 98th anniversary of Youth\nPledge Day. The occasion feels close to home for me, as our three\nchildren are all still in their youth. Tomorrow, Thursday 29 October\n2026, we will take our youngest daughter, Neisya Reehanna, to Yogyakarta\nInternational Airport once again. At the end of August 2025, we saw her\noff to Australia to take part in the International Science Fair,\nASMS-ISF 2025. This time she is travelling further, to Kyoto, Japan, to\nattend the Japan Super Science Fair (JSSF) 2026, which runs from 31\nOctober to 4 November.<\/p>\n
JSSF is organised by Ritsumeikan High School in Kyoto as part of\nJapan\u2019s Super Science High School programme, launched by the government\nin 2002. Over five days, students from various countries present their\nresearch, take part in poster sessions and problem-solving workshops,\nand exchange cultures.<\/p>\n
Neisya and two fellow students will present their research, titled\n\u201cEnhancing the Operational Longevity of Butterfly Pea Flower (Clitoria\nternatea L.) Dye-Based DSSCs via Bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi L.)\nInterfacial Passivation\u201d. Put simply, the research tackles a very\npractical question: how to make natural-dye-based solar cells last\nlonger.<\/p>\n
Their findings are still at an early stage, but what is especially\nworth noting is the research journey itself. Initial experiments with\nmangosteen peel did not produce the expected absorption pattern, so the\nteam had to change materials and start again. It brings to mind a lesson\nI have previously written about in this column: discoveries often emerge\nfrom plans that have to change.<\/p>\n
I see the same pattern in research supervision and presentation\nseminars at Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta. Good research begins with a\nreal problem, is tested using clear methods, reported honestly\u2014including\nits limitations\u2014and concludes with recommendations for what should\nhappen next. This principle applies equally to high-school students in a\nlaboratory and doctoral students writing a dissertation.<\/p>\n
Seen from a distance, Neisya\u2019s journey is just one of three different\npaths taken by our children. Our eldest, Naufal Rasendriya, is pursuing\nInternational Relations. Najwa Rashika chose Aerospace Engineering and\nis now continuing her master\u2019s studies at ITB. Neisya, the youngest, is\ndrawn to chemistry and hopes to study pharmacy. Interestingly, none of\nthem has followed the Computer Science path that we pursued.<\/p>\n
In the news today, we also see young people choosing different ways\nto express their concern. Some take to the streets to voice their\naspirations; others work in academic settings, laboratories and\nscientific forums; and still others represent Indonesia at international\nevents. Their approaches differ, but all show that young people are\nnever truly silent in the face of their times.<\/p>\n
These different paths call to mind the events of 28 October 1928. At\nthe close of the Second Youth Congress, young people and students from\nvarious regional organisations pledged one homeland, one nation and one\nlanguage. They came from different backgrounds but found a shared\naspiration.<\/p>\n
Different paths need not divide us; the uniqueness of each person can\nlead towards the same destination. We continue to learn that everyone\nhas their own individual qualities, and that a parent\u2019s role is not to\ndictate the path. Our task is to encourage, support and facilitate.<\/p>\n
To encourage means giving young people the confidence to try, even\nwhen the outcome is uncertain. To support means being there when things\ndo not go as planned\u2014for example, when an experiment has to be repeated\nfrom scratch. To facilitate means opening doors, whether by giving time,\naccess or simply driving someone to the airport.<\/p>\n
The same principle applies at university. The students in lecture\nhalls at Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta each bring their own strengths.\nSome are sharp at programming logic, others excel at design, data\nanalysis, communication or leadership, while some only discover their\ninterests in their final semesters.<\/p>\n
Good lecturers and supervisors do not try to make them all the same.\nOur task is to recognise each person\u2019s potential, then encourage,\nsupport and facilitate it. This is particularly clear when supervising\ntheses and dissertations. Students are more likely to persevere through\na long process when their topic reflects their own interests and\nstrengths than when it has been chosen to suit their supervisor.<\/p>\n
As Director of the Institute for Research and Community Service, I\nsee facilitation as part of the institution\u2019s role, too. Research\ngrants, scientific forums, publication guidance and collaborative\nnetworks are ways for a university to open doors. But a door only\nmatters if someone is willing to step through it, driven by their own\ncuriosity.<\/p>\n
Our students are the young people of today. If the youth of 1928\nchampioned a common language so the nation could speak with one voice,\ntoday\u2019s young people face a different challenge: speaking the language\nof science so Indonesia\u2019s voice can be heard at forums around the\nworld.<\/p>\n
Allah Almighty says: \u201cSay, \u2018Everyone acts according to their own\ndisposition.\u2019 And your Lord knows best who is most rightly guided.\u201d (QS\nAl-Isra\u2019: 84)<\/p>\n
May Neisya and her friends have a safe journey and a successful\npresentation. May every child, and every student, find the path that is\nright for them, alongside parents and educators willing to encourage,\nsupport and facilitate. Happy Youth Pledge Day. Wall\u0101hu a\u2019lam.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/different-paths-the-same-destination-1793170264", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }