Riana, UGM's young medical student

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Riana Helmi is only 14 years old, with a cute, fresh-faced appearance.

As a girl in her early teens, she is fond of going out for fun and often has a childlike reaction to things.

Teenagers of her age are normally in the final grade of junior high school. Riana, however, was admitted this year to Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta. She has just entered the UGM school of medicine, known as the most demanding and expensive of all state colleges.

Riana Helmi is the youngest of three children of police Adj. Comr. Helmi and his wife Rofiah, and was born in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam on March 22, 1991. But Riana was in Aceh for only two years before her parents moved to Sukabumi, West Java, where they have settled.

Raised in a disciplined family, Riana has grown used to spending time efficiently. At four, she was already a student of Sriwedari primary school, Sukabumi. Signs of her precociousness were apparent as she became the youngest first grader, ranked top in her class.

After finishing six years of primary school, Riana continued to record a promising performance in junior and senior high school, each of which took only two years to complete. Riana's talent entitled her to follow an accelerated exam program, which she passed, thereby curtailing her schooldays.

She entered UGM via the Scholastic Talent Prospecting Channel. This is a college entrance mechanism by which candidates are selected under the supervision of the director general of higher education.

Again, she did well to qualify as a medical student although her family had to pay an Rp 80 million contribution.

Riana said she enjoyed becoming a college student at such a tender age, although she acknowledged some difficulty in the company of fellow students. She finds it equally awkward to mingle both with adults and younger people.

"Sometimes I feel I'm still a kid but as a student I'm growing up, too," she said smilingly during a recent campus orientation program.

Nonetheless, she claimed she was quite optimistic about her medical studies ahead at UGM. "It's now important to learn how to cook, because I'm living in a boarding house," she remarked.

The girl with an IQ of 126 revealed that she had never set herself a specific amount of time as a daily study target. To her, what was crucial in studying or reading was how much she enjoyed it. "Reading for five hours a day is useless if it becomes burdensome," she said, sweetly.

According to Riana, before studying she tries to arouse her interest in the relevant subject. When studying history, for instance, she would recall the stature of heroes such as Bung Karno, Indonesia's first president, who enjoyed international fame.

As she grew more interested and enjoyed her studies, the learning process ran smoothly. "Even now, I still remember the dates of various events in history," she observed.

Riana, who also likes reading religious novels, only studies when she is in the mood, refusing to force herself.

Asked about teenagers' lifestyles, notably characterized by "puppy love", Riana's comment was brief. "I haven't got a boyfriend and never had a date. I don't want that; I'd rather get married directly," she said, blushing.