Giving kindness and benefiting the public is a noble mission. Such is the drive behind the efforts of Rahmawati Husein,MCP, Ph.D, a lecturer of Governmental Science from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) to contribute as much as she can for the public. Recently, the lecturer and Vice President of Muhammadiyah Disasater Management Center (MDMC) received an award from her alma mater, Texas A&M University.

Rahmawati is one of the six alumni who received the 2019 Outstanding Alumni award, an honor given based on leadership and humanitarian aspects of the awardee. Rahmawati herself stated that she gratefully received the award. “It is an honor for my work to be recognized and appreciated by the University where I once learned. This is also a statement that someone who managed to excel can inspire others, even foreign students in American Universities,” She stated when interviewed by a team from the Office of Human Resources and Protocol on Saturday (27/7) between her activities as a keynote speaker in the ‘Disruptive Innovation in Transportation Sector in Indonesia, Philippines, and Taiwan’ public lecture.

Rahmawati stated that this award is not only for herself, but also for UMY. “As the place where I teach, research, and perform my civic duties, I dedicate this award to UMY, who has given me permission to develop my career and myself. May this help UMY’s mission to drive and support its academic personnel to contribute as much as it can to the public, both academically and otherwise,” she added.

Her prior study in Urban Regional Planning inspired her to contribute to disaster mitigation efforts. “That time, I focused my studies on environmental planning, specifically in mitigation. Then, I wrote my dissertation regarding location planning for damage mitigation in coastal areas. In addition, during my time at Texas A&M University, I also studied Hazard Certification to know more about mitigation. Thus, I am well prepared to contribute what I have learned to help the public,” Rahmawati, a member of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Funds Advisory Group, said.

Rahmawati also implored students to be more sensitive about ongoing issues. “I want students to be more active outside the classroom to increase their knowledge, view, and abilities. You must especially be more sensitive about the realities of your environment, which can be done by contributing to your local organization and other activities. Said activities will help you make decisions in teamworking, time management, and decision-making. You can also find the drive and goal to be achieved inside the classroom environment, she closed.

Adapun penganugerahan penghargaan sebagai alumni berprestasi tersebut akan diterima oleh Rahmawati bersama 5 alumnus Texas A&M University lainnya pada 14 November mendatang di Texas, Amerika Serikat. (raditia)

The Texas A&M Outstanding Alumni award ceremony will take place in Texas on November 14th, which Rahmawati and 5 other alumni plan to attend. (raditia)