Community service is an activity that cannot be overlooked by educational institutions, especially universities. This is related to the obligation of lecturers as outlined in the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, which includes education, research, and community service. This year, the Mathematics Study Program of Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) has three community service programs in the fields of education, technology, and economics. Each program is carried out by a team consisting of lecturers and mathematics students. In the field of education, the Mathematics Study Program addresses the topic of “Synergy of the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) and Bidikmisi as Efforts to Expand Access and Learning Opportunities in Higher Education for High School Students in Tuban Regency.” The selection of this theme began with concerns about the low participation of students in Tuban Regency in pursuing higher education. The Rengel, Plumpang, and Grabagan Districts, where the majority of the population works as farmers and laborers, need motivation to ignite the spirit of the younger generation in pursuing higher education, which is ultimately expected to improve the standard of living of the community.
This community service activity is carried out in two stages: the socialization phase conducted online via Zoom and the Roadshow phase conducted offline at high schools in Tuban. The online session was held on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, via Zoom meeting and YouTube, and was attended by 243 students. In this initial phase, the community service team invited developmental psychology expert Dr. Dewi Retno Suminar, M.Si., Psychologist from the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Airlangga, to deliver a lecture on “Realizing Dreams with Grit.” This lecture aimed to provide motivation for students to persevere in facing the world of higher education.
The event, attended by guidance counselors and students from several high schools in Tuban, including SMAN 1 Grabakan, SMAN 1 Ngrengel, and SMAN 1 Plumpang, was opened with remarks from the chairperson of the community service committee, Dr. Inna Kuswandari, M.Si. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of continuing education to higher education as one way to improve human standards of living, especially in facing the era of Industry 4.0, where many jobs will be taken over by machines. This highlights the importance of analytical and synthesis skills as human abilities that cannot be replaced by machines. Therefore, it is important to hone these skills, one of which is through further studies.
The main part of the event consisted of a lecture by the speaker moderated by Dr. Nenik Estuningsih, M.Si. The approximately 60-minute lecture covered the definition of GRIT, its components, factors shaping GRIT, and psychological resources that can enhance GRIT. Dr. Dewi explained GRIT as resilience and the spirit to achieve long-term goals, which is essential for students in navigating the challenges of campus life. Many students become desperate and decide to drop out of college because they cannot maintain motivation and solve the problems they face. Through this lecture, it is hoped that students can develop the mental resilience needed for higher education.
Following the lecture, there was a question and answer session and a questionnaire to measure the students’ self-confidence and resilience in facing challenges that may arise during their higher education journey. This questionnaire will be evaluated by the team and used as a basis for future mentoring activities. The recording of this event can be accessed on the Universitas Airlangga Mathematics Official YouTube channel at the following link: https://youtu.be/5HXtLtfUzbE.
