Not every journey to university starts with an easy step. For Dhiva Angger Sakhena, a student from Sukorejo (Tugu, Trenggalek), the path to Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) actually began with a period of waiting and long struggle. After failing his first attempt to enter tertiary education, Dhiva decided to take a gap year. But he didn’t fill that year with sorrow — instead, he dedicated himself socially. He taught English to children in his village — an initiative he designed himself, as a form of responsibility and service to his community.

The Community Service Team (PkM) of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) conducted training and assistance on processing household organic waste into liquid plant supplements based on carbon nanomaterials (CNMs). This activity took place in Warungboto Village, Yogyakarta City, involving the Pendidikan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK) mothers of RT 31/RW 08 as the main partners.

Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) reaffirms its commitment as a pioneer in inclusive education and gender equality at the global level. Dr. Nur Azizah, Ph.D., a lecturer in the Special Education Study Program at the Faculty of Education, served as a speaker at the Workshop on Lifelong Learning and Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities, part of The 5th Asia Pacific Pre-Congress IASSIDD 2025 held in Singapore.

Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) has once again spread the spirit of social care by distributing food packages to orphanages, students, and the surrounding community. This simple yet meaningful action embodies the values of mutual cooperation and humanity that thrive within the campus environment.

A team of UNY lecturers conducted an accompaniment programme in which 40 members of the women’s empowerment group (PKK) in Sembuhan Kidul participated. The goal of this activity was to increase the knowledge and skills of the community— especially housewives— in utilising household and garden organic waste so that it is not simply discarded, but processed into liquid organic fertilizer which can be useful for family farming as well as becoming an economically valuable product.

Reni Novia Alfiyanti was born into a simple rural family, the youngest of three siblings. Her father, Haryanto, works as a farmer, while her mother, Nur Khaniyati, is a loving homemaker. From her parents, Reni learned the meaning of hard work, patience and sincerity. A modest life did not discourage her – on the contrary, it became the spark for her to keep striving. To her, pursuing higher education is an honour not only for herself but also the greatest gift to her family.

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 spirit and curiosity coloured an environmentally-friendly agriculture training organised by students of the Community Service Programme (KKN) of UNY. Equipped with knowledge and concern for the environment, the students educated residents of Dadapan, Sidoluhur, Godean, Sleman to produce liquid fertiliser and natural pesticide from simple materials around their homes.

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).

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.