Aisyah Rahmatul Laily has finally achieved her dream of studying in the Blue Continent through a long journey marked by determination and perseverance. The 2018 alumna of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (FK UMS), is now pursuing her master’s degree at IUSS Pavia, Italy, an elite institution renowned for its world-class research.
Her path to Europe did not unfold overnight. Aisyah planted that dream back in 2016, when her research was selected for presentation at an international conference in Thailand.
“From that moment, I was motivated to conduct research that could be presented in Italy,” she recalled during an interview in early November.
When she eventually set foot in the land of pizza for her next conference, she immediately fell in love with the country. Italy became a place she longed to return to, this time not as a visitor, but as a student.
Aisyah chose the neuroscience program at IUSS Pavia (Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori), an elite study under the University of Pavia. The University of Pavia itself is one of the oldest universities in the world and a pioneer in neurological research.
Names of great Nobel laureates such as Alessandro Volta and Camillo Golgi once walked the academic corridors of this university. To this day, seminars featuring Nobel Prize winners remain part of the intellectual atmosphere that encourages students to think critically.
“The program I chose is one of the flagship programs. The University of Pavia is known as a pioneer in cutting-edge research in neurology and neuroscience,” Aisyah explained.
Aisyah began applying to overseas universities in 2018. But success only came after three years of persistence, dozens of rejections, and the struggle of preparing for the IELTS exam in between her clinical rotations. “Being rejected by dozens of universities and failing to secure scholarships is no stranger to me,” she admitted honestly. But she believed that no effort ever betrays its results.
Once she completed her medical internship, she was accepted as a recipient of the Italian government scholarship for her master’s studies in 2021. The sense of relief mixed with deep emotion felt like a reward for her disciplined and consistent study routine.
Aisyah spends her mornings at the hospital, her afternoons finishing clinical duties, and her nights writing and sharpening her critical-thinking skills. On weekends, she switches gears entirely, dedicating her time to IELTS preparation and scholarship hunting.
Behind every step Aisyah took, UMS played a significant role. She sees the university as the “spearhead” of her achievements. Both moral and financial support were given from the moment her first research project was presented in Thailand. When she was later invited to present her work in Italy, the Faculty of Medicine at UMS even recognized the accomplishment by allowing it to replace her thesis.
“The support given by the academic community of FK UMS motivated me to push myself even further,” she said.
Before leaving for Europe, Aisyah devoted herself as a doctor in Sleman during the COVID-19 response. She served as part of the tracing team, conducted antigen and PCR swab examinations, and worked as a healthcare provider supporting the national immunization program.
“That experience broadened my perspective on the medical world and on humanity,” she concluded.
