In the Odd Semester of the 2023/2024 Academic Year, the Faculty of Biology UGM accepted one exchange student through the Student Exchange Program in Biological Sciences. It is hoped that this activity can encourage the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG’s 7) regarding quality education. The student comes from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands named Noémie Minghetti. Noémie is from Grenoble, France, a city nestled among the French Alps, but she has also lived for several years in America.
Noémie chose to study in the Netherlands because she preferred studying in English, something that is not always offered in France. She is interested in conducting research so studying in English makes this more accessible. In the Netherlands she study a Bachelor in Biomedical Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This is similar to biology but the study is more focused on human biology and health. Noémie plans to finish her studies this year and then plan on pursuing a master’s in biomedical research in Belgium. She is interested in microbiology and would like to study antibiotic alternatives in the future.
This is what made her interested and decided to take all the microbiology courses offered by the Faculty of Biology UGM. Apart from that she heard that Yogyakarta is the center of Indonesian Culture, with many temples and beautiful nature very close by to visit. This is in line with her interests in dance and traveling. During the exchange she has traveled to many places such as Sumatra to see orangutans and Ijen Crater to see the blue flames.
Noémie also shared that she had an extraordinary experience in Indonesia. She had the opportunity to travel and meet many people. She enjoyed the small class sizes so she could meet the Professors because at her home University there were more students in one class. She said, when she goes home, she will miss the food and nature of Indonesia but also the friendly people.