UMJ Wisuda 1,186 Students, Abdullataf From Thailand Becomes A Representative For Graduates

JAKARTA Abdullataf Dodhana, a student from Pattani, Thailand, who graduated from the Faculty of Education, University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta (FIP UMJ), expressed his hope to become a great teacher in his homeland after completing a study in Indonesia.

He expressed this hope when giving a speech to representatives of graduates during the 81st Graduation procession for the UMJ 1 session at the KH Auditorium. Azhar Basyir, UMJ Cendekia Building, Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

In his speech, Abdullataf shared the story of his struggle to migrate to Indonesia in order to study. He knows UMJ from seniors from Pattani who first studied and is now a teacher in the area.

"In 2016 I came to study at UMJ and hoped that after graduating I would become a great teacher who could educate the children there to be great like me," said the graduate of the Indonesian Language and Literature Education Study Program.

However, Abdullataf's academic journey is not always easy. Arriving in Indonesia, he faced language barriers because he was not fluent in Indonesian. The challenge he challenged in the first six months, assisted by support from his classmates.

"If my friends hear that I am fluent in Indonesian now, previously I needed six months to be able to launch it," he said.

He also reminisced about his unique experience when asked to present a group in the early days of college. With his limited language skills at that time, his presentation actually made friends laugh because of the incomplete intonation and pronunciation. But that's where I learned and continued to be confident," he said with a smile.

Abdullataf also shared his memorable story while attending a Real Work Lecture (KKN) in Yogyakarta. According to him, the people there are very friendly, polite, and show the other side of Indonesia that he previously did not know.

"From that experience, I realized that Indonesia is not only Jakarta. Culture and characters are diverse, and all of them have their own uniqueness," he said.

Closing his speech, Abdullataf expressed his pride in being part of the University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta. He also expressed his gratitude to all the academic community who have accompanied him in the learning process.

In the academic year 2024/2025, UMJ graduated as many as 1,186 students from various levels, including the 12th Doctoral Program, 50th Masters, 7th Specialist, and 81st Bachelor.