“If we don’t want to enjoy and feel grateful for the process that we’re going through, it’s better if we forget about success completely,” Emma Millania Kartini said. Emma is a batch 2018 student of FISIPOL UGM’s Communication Study who not long ago won the International Table Tennis Championship in Malaysia with her team from UGM. The girl who just turned 20 on 3rd September talks about her long process towards the accomplishment she got. Emma said that since she was in elementary school, his dad has introduced her to table tennis.
When she was in junior high school, Emma was asked to represent Purworejo for three years in a row in the Central Java Student Sports Week. Aside from that, Emma also routinely practices in several towns. “In the morning i go to school, then in the afternoon I go to Jogja, and at night I am picked up by my parents,” Emma said on the topic of her journey when practicing. This routine is done by her because she realizes that if she wants to be a champion, she can’t train in the same place. The bravery to go outside our comfort zone is also important.
Although in some championships she hasn’t won, Emma is still proud of her efforts. According to her, the seed we sow will one day let us harvest the fruits of success one day. “If I lose, well I lose some money and some energy. But, it still gives me experience which will shape our mentality and one day will allow me to become experts,” Emma said. Aside from that, there are several other championships like the Sukun Cup national team championship which helped Emma get into her favorite school.
Emma’s journey continues even when she is in high school. Several times Emma got the chance to represent her school in the provincial and national level. “That was the first time I got on a plane, when I went for a championship in Jakarta, I came home with a miniature airplane flight because I got second place. It made me feel so happy,” Emma said. From that trip, Emma realized that she’s not doing well academically. That is why Emma perseveres in the non-academic lane, which is table tennis. “The bottom line is to be brave enough to try, to take a risk. There will always be sacrifices.” she said.
Until now, table tennis has become one of Emma’s hobbies that have made her one of Purworejo’s best athletes and led her to rack up a lot of achievements. Emma’s journey in going to university is also related to her journey with table tennis. In 2018, Emma successfully secured a place at the FISIPOL UGM’s Communication Studies through the achievement lane. “So, joining the student community becomes a way for me to show gratitude for being accepted here,” Emma said. As a student of UGM, Emma got the chance to compete in the Table Tennis Invitation EDPYogya-WMP at GOR Lembah with UGM’s Table Tennis student community. Emma got the first place, then she got into the selection process and finally was chosen to represent UGM for a championship in Malaysia.
While joining the UGM Table Tennis student community, Emma continues to train by competing in Bali, Jakarta, Borneo, etc. Though she doesn’t always win, Emma believes that losing is normal. Emma also got third place at the U25 National championship representing Central Java.
Finally, in 2019 she got the chance to go to Malaysia and got a trophy in the International Sports Fiesta held by Mara Technology University. In that championship, UGM’s Table Tennis team got the general champion.Emma also got the first place in the female university student category . “The finals for that championship was in Nepal and I got to be in a team.
The girl that now becomes the head of UGM’s Table Tennis student community in the 2020 period also has the hope of achieving in the academic area which is by graduating with a cumlaude degree. Not only is she busy with studying, joining organisations, and practicing, Emma also has work experience. One of them is by being a News Presenter in a local RCTI TV in a program called Seputar iNews Yogyakarta, which she still works in until today. She expresses her gratitude of being able to express herself in multiple places other than table tennis. “While we are young, we need to be brave in seeking experiences. Other than being an accomplished athlete, we also need to realize the importance of health and relation these days.” Emma said.
