Clareta Milena, the Highest GPA Scorer at ITB April Graduation 2023
By Adi Permana
Editor Adi Permana
BANDUNG itb.ac.id - Clareta Milena, a student majoring in the ITB Faculty of Arts and Design (FAD) Craft Program Study, was deemed to be the student with the highest GPA at the ITB Second Graduation Ceremony for the 2022/2023 Academic Year, Saturday (8/4/2023). Clareta successfully graduated from ITB with a cum laude predicate and obtained a GPA of 3.97 out of 4.00 from her 4.5 years of study.
This student whose hobby is drawing has been interested in the world of batik since middle school. This is what led her to study at the ITB Craft Program Study. According to her, batik is Indonesia's wealth that deserves to be preserved, but only a small number of young people are interested in learning it. After becoming an ITB student, Clareta began to know and like sustainable fashion such as bioplastics and natural fibers.
"Other than that, I am also interested in the conservation and restoration of textiles because I see a lot of traditional textiles with very complicated and delicate manufacturing techniques, and we can learn a lot from these textiles but have not searched for further information," she said during her talk with the ITB Public Relations Reporter.
When asked on how to consistently study to reach a high GPA, Clareta shared some tips that she did during her time as an ITB student. The first tip was to enjoy the knowledge. According to Clareta, when we like a topic, we would enjoy its learning process. When we enjoy learning, the burden of studying will disappear and change to curiosity.
Apart from enjoying the knowledge, taking lecture notes and explanations from lectures is also a learning method Clareta stands on. To her, the note taking learning method is the most effective way of learning and can help us when exams are around the corner. The next tip is discipline. Clareta admitted that the lecturers at FSRD ITB really appreciates time and discipline in assignment submissions. The last tip Clareta shared was to give the very best in doing assignments.
"Doing assignments should not be done half-heartedly, you have to go all out. When doing assignments, I have to focus, and my mind has to be there to do the assignment. I also have to be satisfied with what I made before submitting it,” Clareta explained.
As a result of her hardwork in studying, Clareta succeeded in becoming the Best Student for the Craft Study Program in 2021 and won several competitions such as 3rd place in the National Digital Poster Competition and a finalist in the Accessory Design Contest (LPA), Jakarta Fashion Week 2023. In said contest, Clareta put in her Final Project (TA) which were jewelry made from bioplastics and natural dyes.
Apart from learning in class, Clareta was also active in participating in several committees and organizations on and off campus. Some of the organizations and committees Clareta took part in were the ITB Student Orchestra and the university level ASEAN conference about sustainable industry in the Media and Marketing department. In this committee, Clareta was in charge of people’s engagements, for example promotions through social media.
Clareta had also been involved in several projects and exhibitions. She had an internship for three months at Smart Textile (SMARTEX) at Gent University, Belgium. There, Clareta spent a lot of time in the laboratory testing the strength of textile fibers. According to her, smart textiles can be the future of the textile industry because of their ability to react to external stimuli so that the textiles produced are not only beautiful but also functional.
Clareta had also been a participant in the Biomaterial Exhibition on Sparc Campus by Playo Material Laboratory and Binar: Explorative Craft by the TERIKAT ITB Student Association in 2021. At this exhibition, Clareta put in her college assignments and learned a lot about new things, one of them being natural dyes. According to Clareta, natural dyes have their own uniqueness since they have been used by humans for a long time, but there is still much that can be researched considering their abundant potential in Indonesia.
Once she entered her 7th semester, Clareta began preparing her final project. Having changed her topic at one point, Clareta finally settled on completing her final project titled "Exploration of Natural Dyes in Bioplastics as Alternative Textiles for Craft Products". In said TA, Clareta tried to apply tingi, tegeran, jalawe and indigo natural dyes to homemade bioplastics made from kitchen tools.
The purpose of this research was to study an alternative material to replace biodegradable textiles. As a result, a bioplastic formula was obtained from a mixture of gelatin, tapioca, and agar, which had textile-like characteristics, where it can be bent in various directions, sewn, and cut.
The craft products made for Clareta’s TA were jewelry titled “Alumarekah”. The jewelry consisted of two sub-collections called Alum and Rekah which depicted the life cycle that is also in line with the nature of the bioplastics created, which are soluble in water and can easily decompose into the soil. "Something that blooms one day will wither or die," she said.
The student, who has worked at the local brand "Sejauh Mata Memandang", hopes to be able to continue their education to the Masters level in the future to continue broadening her knowledge and be able to build her own brand that is concerned with solving social and environmental problems.
Clareta advised, "Life is a process that must be enjoyed in both bitter and sweet, because after a storm there must be a rainbow, then you must always be grateful for the life you have but don't be too comfortable, you have to keep moving and also processing because life rotates."
Reporter: Angra Eni Saepa (Urban and Regional Planning, 2021)
Translator: Hanna Daniela Ayu (Aerospace Engineering, 2021)
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