"Enjoy the Process Despite the Tears," A Message from a Graduate with a 4.00 GPA
"Just do it, live it, enjoy the process. It's okay to cry, to be tired, and to be sad, but we have to continue because it's impossible to finish something if we don't finish it ourselves. We chose and took this path so we must also finish it."
Zahra Nur Afifah's long-held principles have helped her in the process of becoming the best version of herself. This Master of Islamic Broadcasting Communication graduate managed to obtain a GPA of 4.00 with a study time of 1.5 years at UIN Syarif HIdayatullah Jakarta.
A series of processes and twists and turns that were not easy became her "friends" during her master's education. However, it paid off sweetly because of the perfect score he managed to obtain, but it certainly was not obtained with just one blink of an eye, there were sweat and tears that accompanied his struggle.
Activities During College
Not only focusing on lectures, Zahra makes the most of her time to be a productive student. The woman who was born in Jakarta on September 13, 1999 takes a side job as a teaching assistant for Communication Psychology and Interpersonal Communication courses in the Islamic Broadcasting Communication Study Program for two days a week.
Zahra also does not hesitate to try her luck in other fields outside the focus of her studies. She also works as a social media specialist in several Instagram accounts as well as being a flower bouquet business owner.
Bucket.by.zeo is a business that has been started for three years since 2020. Having more than three thousand followers on Instagram, Zahra admits that she has hired several employees in her shop. Her business is growing until now, as evidenced by the official opening of an offline store with the same name in Karawang on February 9, 2024.
Dividing Time Between Work and College
This Master's graduate from the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Sciences (FDIK) does not find it difficult to carry out daily activities, because she maximizes the schedule that has been arranged coherently. From Monday to Wednesday, he focuses on preparing materials that will be taught to undergraduate students of the Islamic Broadcasting Communication Study Program.
Studying every Friday and Saturday, if there is an assignment given on Friday, she immediately completes it on the same day so that there are no tasks piling up in the future. Likewise, if the assignment is given on Saturday, she will ensure that the assignment must be completed before Sunday because on Sunday it has become her regular schedule to work managing the bouquet business.
"I am an assistant professor of Communication Psychology and Interpersonal Communication, teaching twice a week, every Tuesday and Wednesday or Monday and Wednesday depending on the semester. For other work on the weekend, I am a social media specialist for an Instagram account that usually needs help. In addition, I have a business that has been running for three years, the account name is bucket.by.zeo on Instagram and in Karawang, there are already employees and a team so when I go to college there is someone to handle. Lectures on Friday and Saturday. If I have an assignment on Friday, I will work on it immediately and finish it on Friday night, then Saturday I study again until 9 o'clock and then continue working until night, Sunday I work again until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Thursday is a free day that I spend reading or cooking," she said.
Zahra's Thesis Title and Research Background
Zahra is quite concerned with the issue of mental retardation in the surrounding environment, which can be seen from the title of her thesis, "Symbolic Communication of Children with Special Needs in Social Interaction at Sekolah Alam SAKA Karawang". According to her, interacting with children with special needs (ABK) requires its own communication language because ABK has obstacles and challenges in itself.
She wants her research to focus on what forms of communication are used by children with disabilities, so that interactions between children with disabilities and teachers, non-disabled students, or parents can be effective so that children with disabilities are able to receive the information they receive clearly.
Message to Other Students
Before officially receiving her master's degree at the 131st graduation ceremony on February 25, 2024, Zahra was a new student or a student who was struggling to get a bachelor's degree. The experience did not escape Zahra's life which made her a Master graduate of the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Sciences with perfect scores.
He advised all students not to be afraid to process, not to postpone tasks, and not to give up. It doesn't matter if the struggle is accompanied by sobs, falling and getting up, or sadness.
All of that will be memories that will continue to be remembered during the lecture that being a student and the process of getting an official degree is not easy. Something that has been started and chosen must be accounted for by completing it as best as possible.
Zahra also shared her story when she started preparing her thesis research in the 3rd semester, she resigned as a teaching assistant in order to focus on her thesis work. A tip given by Zahra to students who are struggling with their final project is not to procrastinate, there is no reason to postpone the task because the most important thing is the willingness of oneself to complete the task on time.
"If you have free time at any time, just open the laptop, if you don't know what you want to write, it's okay to just open it, just pay attention to the title and where you want to go, if you have something in mind, write immediately and don't delay. You can write anywhere, it can be from a cellphone or notebook, it doesn't have to be a laptop," he said. (Nadia Nur Fadilah/Novia Syifaputri Ramadhan)