Alumni Stories

Ricky Subagja started his study at Undergraduate Program in Department of Communication Sciences (UPIC), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia (FISIP UI) in 2015. At that time, he took a specialization in the field of Media Studies-one of four specializations offers.

Career Journey

He remembers his graduation on Saturday, August 31, 2019. Two days later, she started as a research assistant at the Center for Detention Studies. The center is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on protecting and fulfilling prisoners’ rights through research, advocacy, and monitoring.

However, Ricky only spent a year there. After that, he got a position as a Diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he got a position at Directorate of Information and Media. His job is of course, so many in line with his major in communication science. He doesn’t get far from press briefings, press conferences, media monitoring, and his friends. Now, Ricky is waiting for his next assignment. He will be sent to Indonesian Humanitarian Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea if nothing changes.

What’s Special about UPIC Students

According to Ricky, there are at least three advantages of UPIC UI compared to similar programs at other institutions.

First, the location of UI is closer to Jakarta, the important one is in the center of government, and industry in the field of communication, and also the production place of popular culture. As a result, the students are more exposed to various social issues to feel more “alive” as a communication student.

Secondly, UI Communication Sciences is still under FISIP, so the students also learn much about social issues earlier.

Third, Great lecturers who not only come from academia but also practitioners. “You could say networking, yes,” said Ricky. One memory he can’t forget is the opportunity to meet an admirable figure. Ricky is very impressed with Najwa Shihab. In fact, I used to want to be a journalist.

To be honest, Ricky said, all the courses at PSDK is very impressive. However, if he must choose, three courses make the biggest impression on him: Media Theory, Applied Communication Research, and Media and Intercultural Communication (MKAB). MKAB seems to have a special place for Ricky. This course gave birth to Manusiaui (@manusiaui) – an Instagram channel that started as a final-year assignment. This channel aims to connect individuals through stories.

“Special for Manusiaui, I would not be who I am today without Manusiaui. Please go check the page on Instagram!” said Ricky.

Message to Students and Alumni

Firstly, don’t be afraid, especially for regional student. According to Ricky, one of the things that distinguishes between regional student and Jabodetabek student is access. He says that when both have the same access to study at UI Communication Science, they can compete. “For the record, I didn’t pay a penny during college because I recieve Bidikmisi assistance,” he said.

Secondly, improve your skills, including internships and exchange student experiences.

Third, don’t get too hung up on specialization. Eventually, UI Communication Science students will graduate as social graduates with a major in communication science. Moreover, Ricky adds, all knowledge and understanding from each specialization will be interconnected.

Trisha Dantiani begins her college story in the Undergraduate Program of Department of Communication Sciences (PSDK) of International Special Class (KKI) in 2018. After earning her bachelor’s degree from UI and The University of Queensland (UQ), Trisha is pursuing a career in one of Jakarta’s leading international media outlets.

As a Communication Sciences student, Trisha tries out various student activities. One of them is the student press organization, Suara Mahasiswa UI (SUMA UI). At that time, she was in charge as one of the reporters. Who knows, it grows her love for journalism until she finally choosing a specialization in journalism at UQ.

She said that her most memorable courses during the lectures are Effective Writing and Communications and Communication Theory. The reason is that Trisha likes to write, and the assignments in these two courses help her to sharpen the skills.

Through a series of courses she took, Trisha said that she acquired various skills, such as writing, designing campaign, and communicating persuasively to attract interlocutors’ attention (either as consumer or partners). Interestingly, Trisha said that the Communication Theory course taught her many useful things in her daily life.

Studying Communication Sciences helped her to understand interpersonal and intrapersonal relations. The materials she got during the study period, either from PSDK or partner universities, become a provision for Trisha to understand other people and how to communicate with them. She also learnt more about communicating for her-ownself.

Message for The Students

According to Trisha, there is nothing wrong with trying everything during college, such as participating in competitions, student exchanges, internships, research, etc. She advises students to spend as much time on campus as possible.

“But don’t join something just because other people are joining or because you don’t want to lose to other people,” she said. According to her, such things will be applicable for all the things, not only in certain organizations or programs. The key is staying true to yourself and focusing on your objective and priority. In such way, the students can enjoy their campus life till completed without regret.