Open University Graduate Balances Work and Study, Creates Jobs and Wins International Awards

Imam Pesuwaryantoro has proven that working while studying is no barrier to academic and professional success. During his Communication Studies at Universitas Terbuka (UT), he balanced his coursework with a job at Plasticpay, a social enterprise focused on plastic waste management, while also working as an online driver and running a boarding house business. His dedication earned him the Best Youth Innovation award at the Japan International Youth Innovation Summit (JIYIS) 2025 in Tokyo, where he presented on sustainability. He also founded a strategic communications platform, a media agency offering corporate branding and press release distribution services, which he developed from a university assignment on public relations techniques. Imam’s achievements were celebrated at UT’s graduation ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic year, where 1,838 graduates were conferred degrees, including 1,695 bachelor’s, 135 master’s, and 8 doctoral degrees. The event, held at the UT Convention Center in South Tangerang, was attended by officials from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and the Attorney General’s Office, underscoring UT’s role in producing adaptive graduates ready for the evolving world of work and digital transformation.