From graduating with honors, spending a tuition-free semester abroad at Queen Mary University, to guiding passengers at 35,000 feet. Most people do not picture an English graduate with honors trading lecture halls for flight aisles, or exchanging the quiet weight of academic texts for the bustling atmosphere of an international cabin. Yet this is the journey of our alumna, Aprilia Cahyaningrum, now a Flight Attendant for an international airline.

    Her journey began when Aprilia chose English Language and Literature as her major. She said that when she was younger, English was the first foreign language she learned. She described discovering the major around the time she was about to graduate from high school. At the time, she was researching which major to take at university and was looking for a language-related major. She said she looked through the majors offered by Universitas Airlangga and found one that interested her: English Language and Literature. Aprilia then thought to herself, “Why not choose a fun major?” and that was the very moment her life changed. When we asked her why she chose Universitas Airlangga, she said, “Of course, because it is one of the best universities in Indonesia.” Aprilia also added that the location is close to her home.

    When Aprilia first got accepted to Universitas Airlangga, the first thing she did was explore platforms that could help her gain information about student exchange programs. She shared that she did this because, back when she was in junior high school, she had also participated in a student exchange program to the Netherlands. Aprilia then found Airlangga Global Engagement. When she was browsing, she saw a program called IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards). That was in 2021, and Aprilia was in her third semester; she was not eligible for the program yet since the minimum requirement to register was the fourth semester. However, that did not discourage her. In the meantime, she prepared as much as she could for other requirements, such as her English test, her GPA, and other things she needed for the application. Later on in 2023, Aprilia was finally able to apply to the program, and she got accepted. 

    After being accepted, she started thinking about which university would be the right fit for her and her studies. Aprilia reveals that she was a Cultural Studies student, which, in her view, is the most interesting and challenging field compared to Literature and Linguistics. She also said Cultural Studies is the most difficult because of how broad the field is. In this case, Aprilia chose Queen Mary University of London as her student exchange destination. She reasoned that the university is directly connected to her studies in English Language and Literature, since studying in the UK allowed her to experience English literature in its own cultural context and gain a perspective from the people and environment where it originated. “Queen Mary also has many international offers. They have a lot of exchange students and international students,” she explained further. 

Aprilia mentioned that at Queen Mary University of London, she had two main types of classes: large lectures and smaller seminars where students discussed readings. They were quite different from the classes we usually take in Indonesia. The large lecture class was a 4-course class, and each course had two meetings a week. At the first meeting, with hundreds of students, they would just sit, listen, and take notes. The lecturer mostly explained the main topic or reading with no Q&A session, and the class was held each Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, the other class consisted of smaller seminars where students discussed readings. The meeting usually had only ten to fifty students. Before the class, students were required to read fifty pages of material. The lecturer's role was just to lead the discussion. The lecturer would start with a question, which students would then answer and debate as part of the discussion. At last, Aprilia mentioned that this class was quite similar to the English Prose class that English Language and Literature students at UNAIR take in their third semester. 

    “Back then, I was scared; I didn't say anything at first, especially since I was the only one who was Asian,” Aprilia recounted. After five meetings, she realized that it was actually not that scary. She finally began to talk in class. 

    Queen Mary University of London has a very diverse student community. When Aprilia was asked about her most memorable experiences from the community, she recounted many events. As the university has a big international office, she shared that back then she frequently came to the office every time she had questions, and they would kindly answer them. Other experiences that she referred to happened in the university’s student village, where each flat has eight rooms. Aprilia used to meet the other residents in the student village’s shared kitchen, where they asked questions, exchanged stories, and talked about their different backgrounds and cultures. In fact, they even tried each other's cooking. Moreover, Aprilia told them about Indonesia, and they were very interested. She even made them try jamu, an Indonesian traditional herbal drink. 

    Speaking of memorable experiences, Aprilia also had some unpleasant ones. When she received a return ticket in the second week, she was happy that she could go home. At that time, she missed home and even got sick. Aprilia had never lived far from home for that long. She admitted that it was quite hard for her; she felt homesick, and that made her cry every night. Then the realization came to Aprilia that she could not stay like that until the end, so she tried to just live in the moment and force herself to explore. Eventually, it really did get better for her. 

    All Aprilia’s hard work and studies paid off, as in the end she graduated with honors and was named Best Graduate for English Language and Literature in 2024. “You should find the joy in studying; a lot of people think studying is mandatory. You must have the eagerness and the curiosity about what you’re studying. Then the outcome that you will receive does not disappoint you,” Aprilia stated with a bright smile. Another tip she shared was having a study circle and emphasizing the importance of having one. Be diligent, but still go out and have fun with friends while making experiences outside of study. 

    Talking about experiences, Aprilia was an assistant lecturer right here at EDSA, Universitas Airlangga, from January until April 2024. The opportunity happened when she told Mr Rizal Octofianto Datau—a lecturer who teaches the British Studies course—that she was an exchange student in the IISMA program. Upon hearing that, Mr Rizal then offered Aprilia the opportunity to be his assistant lecturer to help prepare and teach the British Studies course. After Aprilia agreed, Mr Rizal gave her the chance to teach his class. 

    Additionally, Aprilia was also an English Tutor at Cetta Online Class from January until October 2024. This happened because, at that time, Aprilia was in her last semester and finishing her thesis. She had a lot of free time and tried to fill it with something useful. She then applied to many institutes where she could teach, and one of them was Cetta Online Class. When Aprilia got accepted, she began teaching English conversation to people of many ages, from kids to adults. This also helped improve her own English conversation skills since she did not have someone with whom she could practice speaking English. Aprilia also mentioned that she can speak decent Korean, Mandarin, and French. She learned French for around a year back in high school. 

    Beyond the experiences she had, Aprilia became a Flight Attendant for an international airline. At first, she was unsure which career path to pursue. She was in a quarter-life crisis and was uncertain about what she should do. She thought about wanting to do WFH (Work from Home) or, rather, the opposite: something big and different every day. One day, Aprilia saw an Instagram advertisement for a flight attendant job. “Why not just try it?” she said to herself. Thus, she had her first full-time job interview. There were hundreds of candidates; they spoke English very well, and many had great posture. In the end, she was one of the candidates who were accepted as a flight attendant. 

    Aprilia also mentioned that she had dreamt of becoming a diplomat. She explained further that it was just a childhood dream. For now, she is already content with what she has achieved as a flight attendant: enjoying and living her best life. However, if an opportunity comes up, she will take it and go for it, just like she always says: “Why not?” 

    “Don't give up. Focus on studying. And believe in yourself,” Aprilia said as her advice. Every time we feel doubtful, there will always be an urge to compare ourselves with others on our left and right. “Don't compare; prepare yourself and believe in yourself. If you are faced with rejection, just remember that rejection is redirection; it is meant to make you try another path until you finally succeed,” she added. Every time someone asks what will follow being an English Language and Literature student, do not feel confused, as there are many opportunities available in various fields. You can always pursue your hobbies to gain experience, and after graduation, you can try to find your passion, discover what you like, and get to know yourself and what you want to do. The key is just to try. Let your experiences show you how they will lead you in the future. 

    “You can be anything in this world; believe in yourself and don't compare yourself. Be the greatest, and be the best version of yourself.”

Journalist: Nadya Niswah Rahmania Wijaya

Editor: Yanita Farah Amalia