On Saturday, 24 October 2026, Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta will hold\nits 100th graduation ceremony. A total of 1,100 graduates will take part\nin proceedings divided into two sessions. This graduation feels\ndifferent to me for one reason: I have been invited to attend the first\nsession, during which three students whom I supervised through to the\ncompletion of their doctoral studies will graduate.<\/p>\n
Usually, as Director of the Institute for Research and Community\nService (LPPM), I am not among those invited to attend the graduation\nceremony. This invitation is therefore a special opportunity. In August\n2026, I watched a graduation from a parent\u2019s seat at the Bandung\nInstitute of Technology (ITB). This time, I will watch from a different\nseat: that of a supervisor, seeing three people who have travelled a\nlong academic road finally reach the point called graduation.<\/p>\n
That brings me back to the question: what are we really celebrating\nwhen a graduation ceremony takes place? Of course, we are celebrating\nthe successful completion of an education. There are gowns, stoles,\ncertificates, photographs, congratulations and the happy faces of family\nmembers who have come to offer their support. Yet graduation is, in\ntruth, the culmination of a journey that is not always visible.<\/p>\n
Behind each name called to the stage are semesters completed:\nassignments undertaken, exams faced, research revised time and again,\nsupervisors offering guidance, friends supporting one another, and\nfamilies who may never have stopped providing encouragement.<\/p>\n
For doctoral studies, the journey is longer still: identifying a\nproblem, constructing an argument, conducting research, facing\ncriticism, revising a thesis, defending an idea and, finally, receiving\nacademic recognition.<\/p>\n
This year, Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta reaches its 100th graduation\nceremony. The number 100 is not merely a sequence; it marks a\nuniversity\u2019s journey alongside generation after generation. A hundred\ngraduation ceremonies mean that countless people have arrived on campus\nwith their own hopes and then left carrying knowledge, experience and an\nidentity as members of the university community.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, graduates will take different paths. Some will work as\nprofessionals, start businesses, continue their studies or become\nresearchers. Others will work in fields entirely different from their\ndegree programmes. There is no single path everyone must follow. What\nmatters is how the knowledge gained at university finds expression in\nlife.<\/p>\n
That is why the question after graduation is no longer the one asked\nas a student: \u201cWhen will I graduate?\u201d It becomes: \u201cWhat will I become\nafter graduating?\u201d Perhaps more importantly: \u201cWhat will I do with the\nknowledge I have gained?\u201d These questions are increasingly relevant as\nthe world changes so rapidly. Technology is advancing, artificial\nintelligence is changing how people work, new kinds of jobs are\nemerging, and some existing occupations are being reshaped.<\/p>\n
This is where I see another meaning in a century of graduation\nceremonies. A university\u2019s success is not measured only by its\nbuildings, the number of its degree programmes or its institutional\nachievements. What its graduates do after leaving campus can also serve\nas a reflection of the university. A university\u2019s work is never truly\nover when its students leave.<\/p>\n
This is where the Amikomisme movement takes on a broader meaning. The\npride, loyalty and sense of belonging it seeks to nurture do not stop at\nthe campus gates. Alumni are the face of Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta\nin places that banners and billboards cannot reach.<\/p>\n
I remember the message from ITB\u2019s rector to its graduates: \u201cGo as far\nas you can, but do not forget to come home.\u201d Coming home does not have\nto mean physically returning to campus. It can mean sharing experience\nwith younger students, creating internship and partnership\nopportunities, offering feedback on the curriculum based on workplace\nneeds, or upholding the university\u2019s reputation through honest and\ncommitted work.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that is why every graduation has two sides. On one hand, it\nmarks the end of an educational journey. On the other, it is the\nbeginning of a true journey of service. The Qur\u2019an reminds us: \u201cAnd that\neach person will only have what they have worked towards.\u201d (QS. An-Najm:\n39). This verse feels relevant on graduation day. Behind every degree\nearned lie effort and a process endured. Afterwards, there remains ample\nscope to turn that effort and knowledge into something beneficial.<\/p>\n
For the graduates of Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta, the 100th\ngraduation ceremony may become a date they remember for years to come.\nFor the institution, it is a milestone. For families, it is the fruit of\nprayers and anticipation. For graduates, it is a doorway to the next\njourney.<\/p>\n
One hundred graduation ceremonies. One thousand one hundred journeys.\nEach is different. Each carries its own story. Yet they all share one\nhope: that the knowledge gained will not stop at a degree, but will grow\ninto meaningful work and benefit. Congratulations on Universitas Amikom\nYogyakarta\u2019s 100th graduation ceremony. Good luck on the journey ahead.\nAnd God knows best.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/one-hundred-graduation-ceremonies-1-100-journeys-1792561882", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }