When Knowledge Becomes a Work of Its Own

For Ema Utami, August 27, 2026, became a day her family would always remember. At Bandung Institute of Technology’s Sasana Budaya Ganesha, she watched her eldest daughter, Najwa Rashika, graduate from the aerospace engineering program.

Najwa was one of six women among 30 graduates in the program. The achievement followed a difficult adjustment to ITB’s demanding pace. During her first two semesters in the Common Preparation Stage, she felt overwhelmed by the workload and the number of assignments. Gradually, she adapted, joined student activities and made late-night laboratory work part of her routine.

She eventually completed her degree with cum laude honors and became the first student in her cohort to defend a final project. A family photograph added an unexpected personal detail to the occasion. Before returning to Indonesia after an exchange program at the University of Groningen, Najwa had traveled with her family to Alkmaar in the Netherlands. She needed a new identity photograph for graduation administration, so they visited a small studio there. That image later appeared on her diploma and graduation book.

The ceremony brought another brief but memorable moment. During the handshake procession, ITB Rector Tatacipta Dirgantara recognized Najwa and greeted her. Utami recalled the rector’s message that after the gown comes off and the congratulations end, life asks a more important question than any exam: “What will you do with the knowledge you have?”

For the family, that question captured the meaning of graduation. Education does not end with the ceremony, but begins a new responsibility.

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What will you do with the knowledge you have?