Mawan's Unwavering Grit in Making His Dream Come True

June 23, 2023

A Story of Nur Muhammad Himawan, Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 Cohort from Information System, Universitas Jember

"The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength or knowledge, but rather lack of will."
Vince Lombardi, American Football Coach

Everyone takes a different way of pursuing their dreams. Some dedicate themselves to practicing as much as possible to be an expert, while others simply do what they love to be the best. Nur Muhammad Himawan (21) has an exceptional endeavor in making his dream come true.

Mawan―that's what he's called―needs to go the extra mile to get himself prepared to be a future Data Analyst. Apart from being occupied with attending campus lectures, this Information System student must also allocate his time to tending to his crops. How come? This is Mawan's remarkable journey as a student who finances his higher education by becoming a farmer.

A Pitaya Farmer Who Wants to Make His Parents Proud

Born and raised in Banyuwangi, Mawan is the second of three children. His parents are farmers who regard education as a significant part of their kids' journey. Although Mawan's parents didn't have the opportunities and resources to go to university then, they wished that at least one of their children could hold a bachelor's degree.

That dream is then carried by Mawan, as the only child who has an opportunity to enroll in college. However, Mawan needs to work twice as hard to fund his tuition fee. Like many underprivileged students often do to survive in college, Mawan runs a side hustle too. Having a lot of experience in doing part-time jobs since high school―from being a porter to selling used gadgets, Mawan decided to be a farmer this time.

“My parents are farmers who cultivate anything from oranges to corn. To finance my education, they divided a plot of their farmland for me to care for. Since then, I’ve started working as a farmer who sells pitaya (dragon fruit) to middlemen to fund my studies.”

Being very independent in earning money to pay for college, Mawan imitated his parents' grit. He reminisced his parents' stories about how his mother and father worked odd jobs since primary school to bear the cost of their education. Knowing this, Mawan fosters his parents' perseverance to survive in college and daily life.

Riding His Motorcycle 200 km Back and Forth to Campus

Mawan's resilience isn't only proven by striving to fund his education by becoming a farmer. Living in Banyuwangi but being an Information System student at Universitas Jember forces Mawan to ride his motorcycle about 200 km back and forth to campus. This also became proof that Mawan is a paragon of earnestness.

“If I had to attend a lecture in the morning, I would leave my house at 3 a.m. Then, if my campus activities occupied me till late at night, I could leave campus around 11 p.m. This might seem exhausting, but I must exert unusual endeavors to survive and pursue my dream.”

The man who once wished to enroll in a Chemical Engineering major is a true fighter. Just like some Information System students, he aspires to be a tech talent who can kickstart a career in the data field. Many of Mawan's friends and seniors know he wants to be a Data Analyst or a Data Scientist. Therefore, one of his seniors recommended he join a Kampus Merdeka program to learn about Machine Learning.

Then, in the 5th semester, Mawan enrolled in a Kampus Merdeka program presented by Dicoding Indonesia to be acquainted with Machine Learning. This participation gave him a spark that encouraged him to dive deeper into this field.

Staying Up All Night for Bangkit

As Mawan became more drawn to Machine Learning, he found that the registration of Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 had opened. Seeing this training program initiated by Google and supported by GoTo and Traveloka, Mawan didn't think twice about signing himself up. He chose the Machine Learning path to prepare for his dream professional occupation―Data Scientist or Data Analyst.

Indeed, joining Bangkit pushes Mawan to sacrifice more time and energy. Bustling on the farm and campus from morning to evening gets Mawan to stay up all night to attend Bangkit's course. His learning schedule in this program starts at 8 p.m. till midnight every day. He feels this battle is worth fighting for his better future. Nothing motivates him to give his best in Bangkit more than his determination to make his parents proud.

Regarding the learning experience, Mawan admits that joining Bangkit pleases him because he can expand his professional network and meet fellow students with the same passion. His peers contribute a lot in helping him comprehend some Machine Learning materials that take more time to discern.

Bangkit's supportive learning environment also helps him to develop Wisnu (Wisata Nusantara) with his peers. Wisnu is an app that can help users create travel itineraries and recommend tourism destinations in Indonesia. With his team, Mawan makes this product part of their Bangkit Product-Based Capstone Project milestone.

“Bangkit is a good opportunity for Indonesian students to excel and transform into high-caliber digital talent. As we know, Indonesia needs more of us―the future digital expert― to be a country with more advanced technology. So, take part in this movement by joining Bangkit.”

Now, the distance between Mawan and his graduation from Bangkit is just a few steps away. Let's wish him and his team the best of luck for their capstone project and whatever he plans for his future!

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