After Repeated Rejections, Aisha of MAN 1 Yogyakarta Found Her Way to UNPAD

Written by: Lilis Ummi Fa’iezah, M.A. (Teacher of MAN 1 Yogyakarta)

There was a time when Aisha Fitri Shakira Faladin wondered how many times a person must fail before finally finding the path meant for them. The question came to her again and again.

It appeared when she failed to secure the Golden Ticket to IPB University. It returned when her name was absent from the list of students accepted through the SNBP pathway. It came once more when her hope through the SPAN-PTKIN admission route also disappeared. Three opportunities closed within a short period.

Yet, that was exactly where Aisha’s story began to take shape.

On May 25, 2026, the Grade XII PK 2 student of MAN 1 Yogyakarta was accepted into the Arabic Literature Study Program at Padjadjaran University (UNPAD) through the SNBT pathway. While many may see this as a happy ending, for Aisha, this journey had started long before the announcement day.

Her interest in Arabic grew as she deepened her understanding of Islamic studies while preparing to join the Religious Program at MAN 1 Yogyakarta. During that time, she realized that much of the rich Islamic scholarly tradition she admired was preserved in Arabic texts. That admiration gradually turned into a dream.

As she explored university options, Aisha spent countless hours studying the curriculum and course offerings of Arabic Literature programs across Indonesia. Among all the choices, Padjadjaran University felt like the place where she truly belonged. She found everything she had hoped to learn.

Many people assume that the greatest challenge for high school seniors is difficult academic material. For Aisha, however, her biggest obstacle was herself — her tendency to procrastinate.

She admitted that she never enrolled in any tutoring program. In fact, her serious preparation for SNBT only began less than a month before the examination, right after her unsuccessful attempts through SNBP and SPAN-PTKIN.

For some people, that situation might have been enough to give up. For Aisha, however, failure became a wake-up call.

She began to see herself more honestly and realized that she had become too comfortable. Missing the Golden Ticket, failing SNBP, and not passing SPAN-PTKIN slowly erased that comfort and replaced it with determination.

From then on, Aisha disciplined herself to complete at least one set of practice questions every day, whether she felt motivated or not. She believed that success often comes from small actions performed consistently.

Besides strengthening her academic preparation, she also focused on what many Islamic boarding school students call the “path from heaven.” She asked for prayers from her parents, grandparents, and family members while increasing her voluntary worship and drawing closer to Allah.

Throughout the process, one Quranic verse remained firmly in her heart:

*“Indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.” (Surah Ash-Sharh: 5–6)*

For Aisha, this verse was more than just encouragement. It became a source of strength whenever exhaustion and doubt appeared.

Whenever her motivation declined, she did not imagine her dream campus or future degree. Instead, she thought about the people she loved most — her parents, grandparents, and family. Her desire to make them proud was often enough to inspire her to open her books and continue studying.

Another challenge came when choosing her major. There were many long discussions with her parents, differences of opinion, and moments of uncertainty that required patience and understanding.

Through that experience, Aisha learned that maturity is not always about getting exactly what you want, but about finding balance between personal dreams and the advice of those who genuinely care for you.

At MAN 1 Yogyakarta, Aisha was known as an active student. She served as the Secretary of OSAKA (the Student Organization of the Religious Program), participated in Romansa El-Hakim, and was also involved in the Yogyakarta City Islamic Student Forum (Farohis). These activities taught her valuable lessons in time management, communication, and leadership, proving that learning extends beyond the classroom.

Now, after being accepted into the Arabic Literature program at UNPAD, Aisha still dreams of going further. One day, she hopes to continue her studies in the Middle East. While that dream may seem distant to some, her journey has taught her that the road toward success is not always built through achievements alone.

Sometimes, it is built through repeated failures.

For younger students at MAN 1 Yogyakarta who are still pursuing their dream universities, Aisha offers a simple but meaningful message:

“Believe that Allah would not have brought you this far only for you to fail.”

Those words may sound simple, but they were the reminder that helped her stay strong whenever one hope after another seemed to disappear.

In the end, Aisha realized that failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of the journey toward it.

Sometimes, the best path only becomes visible after we patiently walk past every door that has closed before us.