Rosnia Rahman, a student of Guidance and Counseling at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), has successfully secured the prestigious LPDP scholarship after a long and challenging journey marked by perseverance, faith, and self-discipline.

Coming from Ambon, Rosnia’s motivation stemmed from her financial limitations in pursuing higher education. Instead of giving up, she chose to keep striving, holding firmly to the belief that “scholarships are not for the smartest, but for those who are willing to work hard.”

Her determination led her to travel across islands with limited funds to study English at Kampung Inggris Pare. For three months, she intensively improved her speaking, vocabulary, and pronunciation skills, eventually achieving a satisfying TOEFL score.

However, her journey was far from easy. In her first attempt at the LPDP selection, her essay was considered недостаточно strong and lacking depth. Rather than giving up, Rosnia evaluated her weaknesses, set daily progress targets, and rebuilt her strategy. She consistently studied in community spaces such as mosques and libraries, even walking kilometers each day to maintain focus and discipline.

Rosnia also emphasized the importance of spiritual effort alongside hard work, believing that success is not only the result of visible effort but also inner resilience and faith. This balance of persistence and spirituality reflects a holistic approach to personal development.

Her persistence finally paid off when she was officially awarded the LPDP scholarship in 2024 and is now continuing her academic journey while completing her thesis.

Rosnia’s story highlights the importance of inclusive and equitable access to education, aligning with SDG 4 (Quality Education) by demonstrating that opportunities can be achieved through determination and continuous learning. At the same time, her journey as a young woman pursuing higher education reflects SDG 5 (Gender Equality), empowering women to overcome barriers and achieve academic success.

More broadly, her experience illustrates how resilience, community support, and self-improvement contribute to building a generation capable of driving sustainable development and social transformation.