Bantul Student Anggita Selected for National Paskibraka Flag-Raising Squad
A student from SMAN 1 Bantul, Anggita Ayu Mahanani Hanifah (16), has been selected as a candidate for the national Pusaka Flag-Raising Squad (Paskibraka) representing the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY).
Anggita was so shocked that she admitted to crying when she received the news of her success in the selection. The SMAN 1 Bantul pupil, who is in Class X-H, said she had dreamed of becoming a Paskibraka member since childhood.
‘I used to see it on TV and thought it was really cool, how they all wore uniforms and could be so coordinated. From that moment, I felt I wanted to be like that and started looking into what Paskibraka was,’ she said when met by journalists at SMAN 1 Bantul on Thursday (25/6/2026).
During junior high school, Anggita saw a senior who became a Paskibraka member. This further motivated her to find out how to become one. ‘In junior high, I became even more interested and asked the senior who was a Paskibraka member, and she explained it to me,’ she said.
Eventually, the resident of Dayu, Gadingsari, Sanden, Bantul, took part in the district-level Paskibraka selection when she was in senior high school. ‘The district-level Paskibraka selection was in March 2026, then the provincial level in May, and the national announcement in June,’ she stated.
The cheerful girl admitted she did not expect to be selected as a national-level Paskibraka candidate, as she felt other participants were superior to her. ‘In my heart, I still cannot believe it. I had actually resigned myself, because I had shortcomings where my friends were better than me,’ she said. Therefore, when her name appeared as a national-level Paskibraka candidate, she immediately burst into tears. ‘That’s why, during the announcement yesterday, I immediately broke down crying. I felt touched, happy, and really pleased, proud of myself,’ she said. All these feelings poured out because her childhood wish had finally been fulfilled. ‘I was very determined to become a Paskibraka member because it has been my dream since I was little. I like marching and aspire to be an Army cadet,’ she said.
Anggita also revealed that SMAN 1 Bantul provided full support for her to succeed in becoming a national-level Paskibraka candidate. The national verification involved several stages, including health tests, psychometric tests, drill commands, talent interests, and interviews. ‘The school provided facilities in the form of a dance teacher for my talent interest, and I was also taught about the history of Jogja, as well as being given study leave,’ she said. Regarding her choice of dance for her talent, Anggita wanted to introduce the Montro dance to the public. ‘The dance itself is the Montro dance. Why the Montro dance? Because I want to introduce a dance from my own region. The Montro dance is from Bantul,’ she explained.
Acting Head of SMAN 1 Bantul, Sumarno, said that after Anggita passed the provincial-level Paskibraka selection, the school invited her parents in to discuss the school’s efforts to support Anggita in reaching the national level. ‘We at the school continued to provide internal briefings, such as public speaking from the personal secretary of the Bantul Regent. Additionally, we found a dance coach for her, one of which was the Montro dance for the distinctiveness of DIY,’ said Sumarno. The briefings took place from May 2026, after the announcement of the provincial to national Paskibraka selection results. In fact, the briefings for Anggita at that time lasted until late afternoon and evening. ‘The briefing was to prepare for the national level, because from DIY there were several candidates and only one pair was taken for the national level,’ he said. Besides the briefings, SMAN 1 Bantul also held communal prayers and provided motivation for Anggita. Sumarno also stated that the school provided explanations regarding her studies if she eventually qualified for the national Paskibraka. ‘So we immediately took action to find competent resource persons. There were 4-5 resource persons, because it covered various fields, and thank God, Anggita passed,’ he said. Regarding Anggita’s daily life at SMAN 1 Bantul, Sumarno assessed that the student is active in school organisational activities. ‘Generally, the child is active and has potential too,’ he said. Sumarno added that Anggita had just returned from Jakarta a few days ago. According to him, Anggita is currently waiting for another call from Jakarta. ‘She just got back from Jakarta and the information is that she will be leaving again for Jakarta,’ he concluded.