A student of the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM) has once again achieved international recognition. Aqilasha Nasywari Syaikha (Accounting 2024) successfully brought home five awards from the Global Youth Innovation Summit (GYIS) #14 2026, organized by Pemuda Mendunia from March 2–5, 2026, in Singapore and Malaysia.
The five awards include Fully Funded Awardee, 1st Place Best Delegate, 1st Place Best Speaker, 1st Place SDGs Project Presentation, and 2nd Place Most Creative Delegate all earned within a four-day competition series.
The Global Youth Innovation Summit is a program initiated by Pemuda Mendunia that brings together youth from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and initiatives, with a focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to competitions, the program also features international seminars, campus visits to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), cultural adventures, and city exploration.
The Only Fully Funded Delegate
Aqila’s journey to GYIS #14 began with an Instagram post she came across in September–October 2025. The program offered two participation tracks fully funded and self-funded for the March 2026 departure. Without hesitation, Aqilasha chose the more challenging path.
“From the beginning, I chose the fully funded selection track, which included administrative screening, a national knowledge test, FGD, and interviews—all conducted in English,” she explained.
She successfully passed four stages of selection. The administrative stage required submitting a CV and motivation letter amid competition with more than 300 applicants. This was followed by a national knowledge test covering Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Next came an SDGs-based Focus Group Discussion (FGD), and finally, an interview assessing public speaking skills and contributions to GYIS and Pemuda Mendunia.
After completing all stages, Aqila was declared the only fully funded delegate among the GYIS #14 participants, while the others were categorized as partially funded or self-funded.
The Journey to Achievement
Aqila’s preparation, which took place from November 2025 to February 2026, involved three main stages. The first was the preliminary round, followed by a mentoring phase in small groups of 3–4 participants guided by a mentor.
It was during this mentoring phase that the real challenges emerged. Each group was required to produce three outputs: a pitch deck, a project introduction video, and an Instagram account for publishing the project. These outputs were not merely assignments but key components of the mentor’s evaluation.
“The biggest challenge was producing these three outputs, as we also faced considerable pressure from mentors to deliver our best work,” Aqila shared.
Her success was driven not only by hard work but also by a structured problem-solving approach. She and her team broke down general problems into more specific solutions and distributed tasks among team members based on their proportional roles.
A Meaningful International Experience
Beyond the awards, Aqila gained invaluable experiences. One of the highlights was being evaluated directly by judges from IIUM her first time engaging with academics in Malaysia.
“Having the opportunity to network with finalists from universities across Indonesia was also a great advantage,” she said.
Combined with visits to world-class universities and cultural and city exploration activities, GYIS #14 became an experience that went far beyond a competition.
“There is no elevator to success. Everyone has their own steps to climb. Value the process as a measure of growth from who you were yesterday, instead of focusing on uncertain results,” Aqila concluded.
Report: Dwi Zhafirah Meiliani
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
Sustainable Development Goals
