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Living the Dream: Nyiur’s Semester in the U.S. with Global UGRAD
Nyiur Salsabila Frida - IELS Speaker

Living the Dream: Nyiur’s Semester in the U.S. with Global UGRAD

Nyiur Salsabila Frida - IELS Speaker

Nyiur Salsabila Frida, a student from Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, turned her dream into reality when she was selected as an awardee of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) and studied for one semester at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the United States.
 
Believe it or not, she first learned about Global UGRAD only two weeks before the application deadline. With very limited time but strong motivation, she applied. “It honestly felt like I was living in a dream… something I’ve always wished for,” Nyiur recalled.
 
The process wasn’t easy. “Besides the essay, the interview was the hardest part for me,” she admitted. It was more than understanding her essay—it required thinking and responding in English spontaneously. Yet, she found her key insight through authenticity: “Embrace your true self! If you truly know yourself, you’ll understand what you wrote in your essay, and you can easily answer any question in the interview.”
 
For Nyiur, every application is a learning process. From writing her very first essay to strengthening her English skills, the journey became a training ground for growth. “Unless we dare to try, the lessons remain unlearned, and true readiness, forever out of reach.”
 
Through Global UGRAD, Nyiur not only experienced academic life in the U.S. but also learned confidence, perseverance, and the importance of authenticity—insights she later shared as a speaker in the IELS Insight Series, inspiring other Indonesian students to believe in their potential.
 

✍️ Content Written by Najlaa Thufailah Shafut
🎨 Design by Queen Rahma

 

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