An inspiring story comes from Otto Wahyudi, a visually-impaired young man from Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, who successfully passed the 2025 National-Based Test Selection (SNBT) at UNY.

He was admitted to the Bachelor’s programme in Special Needs Education (PLB) at the Faculty of Education at UNY, scoring 606 on the test. Otto comes from a modest family. His father, Herison, works as a farm labourer and his mother, Reni Oktaviani, is a homemaker and the main supporter of his education. Despite economic constraints and his physical impairment, Otto’s strong spirit never diminished.

The Community Service Program (Kuliah Kerja Nyata Mandiri) Team 26723 of UNY, stationed in Padukuhan Ngringinan, Palbapang, Bantul, carried out education on managing organic and inorganic waste as part of the community service activities. This initiative embodies the vision of UNY “Berdampak” (Impactful) and the “Dikti Saintek Berdampak” programme in building environmental awareness and empowering the community.

Mutiara Widiawati—affectionately called “Mutia”—is now officially listed as a freshman in the D4 Fashion Design Study Program at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). She hails from Jetis Sumuran, Palbapang, Bantul, and is the youngest of six siblings. A graduate of SMK N 1 Pandak, she succeeded in getting into UNY via the National Achievement-Selection (SNBP) route.

Her father, Suparjo, works as a laborer, while her mother, Suratmi, is a homemaker. Among her six siblings, one of her older brothers also studied at UNY.

The Community Service Team (PKM) from UNY held a training and practical session for the residents of Dusun Jomboran, Minggir, Sleman, on Friday, 15 August 2025. The session, which took place in a local resident’s house and was attended by 30 participants, aimed to provide education and skills to effectively and environmentally manage household organic waste.

Five UNY students developed an innovation in oral health care through the Student Creativity Entrepreneurship Programme (PKM-K) 2025. The product, called Covatab, is a tooth-cleanser tablet made from coconut-shell charcoal and rice-husk silica, free from sulfates, effective in removing plaque, safe for use, and environmentally friendly.

UNY has again made history by admitting a prospective student whose age is far younger than the average. Fairuz Khalishah Sastaviana succeeded in passing the selection and was declared the youngest student at UNY for the 2025/2026 academic year, at the very young age of 16 years and 3 months.

Known affectionately as Fairuz, she was admitted into the Bachelor’s programme in English Language Education, Faculty of Languages, Arts and Culture, UNY through the Independent Selection CBT (Computer Based Test).

The student choir PSM Swara Wadhana from UNY continued to carve out a proud achievement on the world stage. The choir successfully brought home three prestigious awards from the Taipei International Choral Competition 2025 (TICC 2025) held in Taipei, Taiwan. At the competition, which was attended by dozens of choirs from various countries, PSM Swara Wadhana demonstrated outstanding vocal quality and musicianship.

An inspirational scene was seen recently at Kampung Emas Krapyak IX, Seyegan, Sleman — a group of foreign students from various countries studying at UNY enthusiastically learned “ngarit” or cutting grass for livestock feed. This activity is part of a community service programme initiated by UNY’s International Office to introduce local culture and build closeness with the countryside community. The programme is attended by students from Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Mozambique and Madagascar.

Sexual violence against young children is becoming an increasingly serious concern. In response to this challenge, a group of UNY students developed an educational innovation in the form of a sexuality-learning game application called “Do and Don’t”. The innovation is designed to instil an important understanding of body boundaries and preventive actions against sexual violence starting from elementary-school ages.

A number of housewives and micro-small-medium enterprise (MSME) actors in Kampung Emas Krapyak IX, Seyegan, Sleman, participated in training on making ecoprint-patterned hijabs as an effort to enhance skills and economic independence. This activity is part of UNY’s community service programme focused on women’s empowerment through environmentally-friendly techniques and based on local wisdom. Kampung Emas Seyegan has been one of UNY’s assisted villages since 2023, serving as a society-empowerment laboratory.