UAJY International Students Share Holiday Stories and Indonesian Cultural Perspectives at the Holiyay Competition

KabarJawa.com – Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta (UAJY) held a March’s Coffee Chat activity combined with a Holiyay Competition presentation on Friday (6/3/2026). The event took place in the Lobby of Campus 2 St. Thomas Aquinas and becomes a space to share experiences for international students who are studying at the campus.

Through this activity, students from various countries such as Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Cambodia and a number of other countries presented their holiday experiences while in Indonesia. This experience was expressed in the form of essays and videos which were then presented in Indonesian in front of the participants and jury.

This activity is not only a competition event, but also a forum for international students to express their impressions, cultural experiences and views on Indonesia during their studies.

Campus Appreciation for International Students

The event opened with remarks from the Head of the UAJY Cooperation and Promotion Office, Drs. Ign. Agus Putranto, M.Sc. On this occasion, he expressed his appreciation for the presence of the participants and also congratulated the students who had just completed their studies.

Agus emphasized the importance of maintaining good relations between alumni and the university. He hopes that graduates, especially students from Timor Leste, can utilize the knowledge gained while studying at UAJY to make a real contribution to society in their home country.

Apart from that, he also reminded that the learning process does not stop when the college period ends. Every experience and work produced during the study period will become an important part of the students’ life journey in the future.

Agus also considered that the work produced by students in the form of videos and writings had historical value for their life journey, as well as representing their role as university ambassadors in various countries.

Student Creativity Describes Indonesia

Similar appreciation was also conveyed by the Head of the UAJY Language and Culture Training Office, RA Vita Noor Prima Astuti, Ph.D. He assessed that the work produced by the students showed creativity as well as a unique perspective in looking at Indonesia.

According to him, the students were able to describe various aspects of Indonesian life and culture from different perspectives. This can be seen from the various themes raised in the essays and videos they presented.

Vita revealed that one of the video works that caught her attention was about fried rice culinary delights. This work is considered capable of presenting an inspiring story while making a strong impression on the audience.

Through these works, he claims to have gained a new perspective on the richness of Indonesian spices and the cultural values ​​inherent in them.

Vita also encourages students to use social media as a means of sharing their work with the wider community. In this way, students are expected to be able to reach more people and introduce Indonesian culture to the world.

Short Presentations and Interactive Discussions

The series of events then continued with a work presentation session from the Holiyay Competition participants. Each student is given five minutes to explain the contents of the work they have created.

In the presentation, the participants explained various experiences during their holidays, ranging from culinary delights, local culture, to the social interactions they experienced while in Indonesia.

After the presentation was finished, an interactive question and answer session with the jury was held for two minutes. At this stage, participants have the opportunity to explain further the ideas, experiences and messages they want to convey through the work.

Through the presentation and discussion process, it is hoped that this event will be able to create a dynamic dialogue space for international students. Apart from introducing their personal experiences, this activity is also a means to show appreciation for the diversity of Indonesian culture that they encountered during their study period at UAJY.

The March’s Coffee Chat and Holiyay Competition activities also show how cross-cultural interactions can develop in an academic environment. Through essays and videos, international students not only share their holiday experiences, but also reflect on the richness of Indonesian culture from a global perspective.***