F

irna Larasati looked happy in the graduation gown she was wearing. She was among 1,460 students attending a graduation ceremony at the Semarang State University (Unnes) on Wednesday.

Firna graduated cum laude with an index of 3.77 and it only took her three years and 10 months to finish her studies. And the most extraordinary thing is that Firna is the daughter of a couple of scavengers, Misiyanto, 57, and Siti Suwanti, 46.

In her free time, Firna says she also helps sort out the scrap gathered by her parents. She deftly
separates used plastic bottles and other recyclable items with her delicate hands and puts them in a sack at her home in Karanggeneng, Sumurrejo subdistrict, Gunungpati district, Semarang, Central Java.

“I’m grateful for having the opportunity to gain knowledge at Unnes and I didn’t expect to get my ticket to pursue my Master’s degree that fast. God has given me all this opportunity. The whole family is grateful to the campus and to everyone,” said Firna, who earned a degree in political science from Unnes.

Firna, who wrote a thesis entitled “Political Marketing of the Mayoral Candidate Pair of Hendrar Prihadi and Hevearita Gunaryanti”, added that it was no easy task for her to be able to study at Unnes. Graduating from the state-run SMA 12 senior high school in Semarang, she enrolled in Unnes through a separate Mandiri (independent) selection mechanism in 2012.

“I must pay for the first semester. In the second semester I received a scholarship,” she said.

Besides scavenging, Misiyanto works as a construction worker, while Suwanti has a side job as a washerwoman. The family is only able earn an average of Rp 50,000 (US$3.70) per day.

Like Firna, their eldest child, Latifah Mulyo, 25, is writing a thesis at a private school for economics in Semarang. The youngest child, Fatihatul Rizky, is a fifth grader.

“I’m trying to add to my parents’ income by teaching at an early childhood education center, but my earnings remain inadequate so I am trying to become a freelance writer for the Central Java administration as well as for the Central Java provincial legislative council.

Firna hopes to earn her Master’s degree at the National University of Singapore or at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

“I’ve contacted the Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry and asked for a scholarship for Firna Larasati. The ministry has agreed to provide her with a scholarship to the National University of Singapore.” said Unnes Rector Fathur Rokhman during the graduation ceremony.