Leony Sutanto Halim, a dedicated student of English Language and Literature at Universitas Airlangga’s Faculty of Humanities, is currently participating in a professional experience with the Kampus Merdeka program, Magang dan Studi Independen Bersertifikat (MSIB). Based in Yogyakarta, she works as an Academics Officer for B2B Projects Tutoring at Schoters. In this role, she manages the quality control of student learning plans, coordinates study-abroad preparation webinars, and handles scholarship data and broadcasts. This is not Leony’s first journey with the Kampus Merdeka program; last year, she participated as an IISMA awardee, making this her second time participating in the program. Choosing to take part again, she saw the potential of Kampus Merdeka as an opportunity to expand her experience beyond the university’s academic limitation. For Leony, this program offers a unique way to practice and learn new skills while exploring life in the professional world.

Though her position may not directly align with her academic focus in English Language, her English skill has proven invaluable for her daily tasks, where precision, communication, and organizational skills are essential. This experience connects with her previous IISMA experience, as both programs emphasize international study and preparing students for opportunities abroad. Kampus Merdeka's structured approach to experiential learning provides a unique opportunity for Leony to sharpen her practical skills in a professional world. She finds the program’s focus on internships particularly valuable, recognizing the limited chances students have to gain such experience through only  academic courses provided in university. Leony explains, “Kampus Merdeka is a unique opportunity to gain professional work experience. Programs like MSIB give you a supported environment to build new skills, and it’s not something you get access to every year.”

Leony Sutanto Halim

    However, stepping into a new role has not been without its challenges. As an English Language and Literature student, Leony initially found herself hard in adapting to the experience as the job’s workload and management requirements are different than she was expecting. Finishing her tasks and managing deadlines, especially during busy periods, has been an adjustment, pushing her to find ways to stay organized and focused. Moreover, participating in Kampus Merdeka twice presented unique difficulties for each. The selection process for both IISMA and MSIB was competitive and intense, requiring her to prepare the best applications, essays, and interview responses, all while standing out among thousands of other candidates. “Preparing for both IISMA and MSIB was quite hard,” she says, recalling the attention to detail necessary for success in such a highly competitive program. Through her diligent efforts, she was able to overcome the challenge and secure a place in each program, experiencing both the academic and professional learning that Kampus Merdeka offers.

Reflecting on the advantages and disadvantages of her choice to pursue Kampus Merdeka twice, Leony identifies the networking opportunities and practical experience as key benefits. The program has allowed her to meet so many professionals and build a network that she feels will be beneficial as she transitions into her post-graduate life. The program also allows her to convert her experience into course credits, enabling her to maintain academic progress in Universitas Airlangga while gaining valuable workplace skills. However, on the downside, Leony has felt the impact of adapting to a fixed work routine that is quite different from her university schedule. Office life, she found, was more intensive than her academic life, requiring a 9-to-5 commitment that left little room for the freedom she enjoyed as an uni student. She admits that this shift in routine took time to adjust to, as the daily work requirements leave her less energy for extracurricular activities or social plans after hours. Nevertheless, Leony has embraced this challenge as a learning experience, taking it as a learning process as part of her journey toward understanding the demands of professional life.

Adjusting the expectations and culture of her office setting has also presented some initial obstacles. Unlike her experience at university, where flexible schedules and many kinds of academic activities were part of daily life, office work required consistency and commitment to routine. The fixed nature of her work environment felt different from the freedom of student life, where attending classes or joining extracurricular events are options that are quite flexible. As she got used to her workplace, Leony can make a comparison between this adaptation with her IISMA experience, which demanded her to adjust to international cultural differences in another country, such as language, lifestyle, and new academic expectations. The Kampus Merdeka experience, on the other hand, was about adapting to a work environment, and though she was still in Indonesia, the unfamiliar setting of Yogyakarta was also challenging. Her first impressions of Jogja were not quite what she expected, especially in terms of transportation and access to many places. Working on the ring road in Yogyakarta, she found that cafes, restaurants, and entertainment venues were less accessible than expected. Although she experienced moments of culture shock, she found Jogja is a nice, comfortable city with conveniences like the TransJogja buses.

    For Leony, Kampus Merdeka’s real-world experiences have been totally rewarding, despite the need to adapt to a more routine lifestyle. She encourages other English Language and Literature students to pursue similar opportunities, recognizing the advantages of such a comprehensive learning experience. “If you have the chance, take it,” she advises. “Our faculty makes it easy to convert the program into credits, so there’s no reason to miss out on such a valuable opportunity.” By participating twice in Kampus Merdeka, Leony has gained not only practical skills and confidence but also a clearer view of her potential path forward. Her journey reflects the good impact of the Kampus Merdeka program and shows how courage in the face of the unknown can lead to personal growth, setting an inspiring example for other students who are considering a similar path.