Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED) was honored to be appointed as the host of the 2024 IISMA Welcoming Briefing. The event, held virtually on Friday, September 27, 2024, aimed to welcome all IISMA awardees pursuing their studies at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The Welcoming Briefing featured a guest speaker, Derian Antonio Daniswara, who serves as the Information, Social, and Cultural Affairs Officer at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Zagreb, Croatia.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Erond expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in UNIMED to host the IISMA Welcoming Briefing 2024. He noted that it was a great honor for UNIMED to welcome all Indonesian students currently studying in Croatia. “We are also proud to share that one of our students, Kevin Simanjuntak, is representing UNIMED as an IISMA awardee in Croatia. This Welcoming Briefing serves not only to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Croatia but also to enhance Indonesia’s education sector through partnerships established under the IISMA program,” said the Vice-Rector IV for Planning, Cooperation, and Public Relations.
Concluding his warm welcome, Prof. Erond expressed his hope that through this activity, all IISMA students in Croatia would build strong connections with one another, supporting each other during their time in Croatia to ensure timely completion of their studies.
Following this, Dr. Rachmat Sriwijaya shared insights on the IISMA program, now in its fourth year. He mentioned that 2,748 students had been selected from over 15,000 applicants. “This session is attended by 25 students who will study at the University of Zagreb. They are among the chosen few—only 2,748 were selected, and 25 of them will study in Zagreb. This is a major achievement at your age. As mentioned earlier, UNIMED has one student, Kevin Simanjuntak, who was selected for the IISMA program in Croatia. He is one of the best, and he will hopefully serve as an inspiration to others. Through this program, you’ll gain international experience and, in the future, are expected to become global leaders,” explained Dr. Rachmat, Head of the IISMA 2024 Program.
In his presentation, Derian gave a brief overview of Croatia, stating, “Croatia is a NATO member state with a population of 3.8 million. Indonesian students have come to Croatia through programs like IISMA, Erasmus+, Erasmus Mundus, internships, and joint summer schools. The Indonesian Embassy in Zagreb, in collaboration with IISMA, supports projects such as Indonesia Day, embassy events including ceremonies, community activities, cultural performances, and more. The Embassy also assists in monitoring IISMA participants.”
(Public Relations UNIMED/zr)
