_(A Note from the Rector of the Al-Amin Institute of Islamic Studies, Indramayu)_
By:
*Dr. H. Masduki Duryat, M. Pd.I., CLA., CFLS*
There is a morning that might seem ordinary.
A young person sets out from home. They are dressed in their finest attire. Parents see them off with prayers; some smile with hope, while others quietly hold back tears of emotion. Some may arrive in modest vehicles, others bearing the weight of their family’s limited means.
On that day, they arrive on campus as new students. Perhaps they have no major achievements yet. Perhaps they are not yet known to anyone. Perhaps they do not yet know what they will become.
But I wish to say to all Al-Amin new students for the 2026/2027 Academic Year:
Never underestimate your first day on this campus. For this very day could mark the beginning of the greatest transformation in your life.
Four or five years from now, I want us to look back at this day and say:
“I made the right choice of path.” MOMARU is more than just a campus introduction. The New Student Orientation Period—or MOMARU—is not merely a welcoming event. It is not just about introducing buildings, lecture halls, lecturers, academic systems, services, financial arrangements, student organizations, and the campus environment.
All of that is certainly important. But for me, as Rector, there is something far more significant.
MOMARU is a pivotal moment for introducing a new life—the life of a university student.
It is on this campus that you will learn to think critically, engage in discussion and argumentation, read, write, conduct research, participate in organizations, build friendships, navigate differing opinions, collaborate, stumble, rise again, and ultimately discover who you truly are.
Therefore, I want you to know Al-Amin not merely as a place for classes, but as a second home where you can grow. *Get to Know Your Campus and the People Within It*
You need to understand how the academic system operates. You must familiarize yourself with the curriculum, the learning process, administration, services, financing, facilities, student organizations, and various opportunities for personal development.
But do not stop there.
Get to know your lecturers. Get to know your peers. Get to know your seniors. Get to know the community surrounding the campus.
Greet them.
Build friendships.
Foster connections.
For I believe that higher education builds not only competence but also a network for life.
The friends you meet today might one day become professors, school principals, entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, practitioners, politicians, religious scholars, professionals, or community leaders.
The lecturers teaching you today might someday become mentors, colleagues, or even partners in building something greater.
And the community surrounding the campus is not merely the “setting” where the campus stands. They are part of the laboratory of life, teaching you that knowledge must ultimately serve society.
Do not be a student who knows only the classroom. Get to know life itself. Al-Amin and the Big Dreams of Indramayu’s Youth.
Al-Amin opens doors for the younger generation to pursue higher education through a wide range of study programs.
At the undergraduate level, we offer programs in Islamic Religious Education, Early Childhood Islamic Education (PIAUD), Islamic Education Management, Islamic Primary Teacher Education (PGMI), Islamic Family Law, Sharia Economics, Primary Teacher Education (PGSD), English Education, Natural Science Education, and Social Science Education, as well as a Master’s program in Islamic Religious Education (PAI).
We continuously strive to make learning engaging, relevant, and digitally integrated. Our relatively young, energetic lecturers—holding Master’s and Doctoral degrees—are part of our effort to create an academic atmosphere that resonates with today’s generation of students.
We also recognize that not all young people share the same financial means. Therefore, offering relatively affordable tuition is part of Al-Amin’s commitment to maximizing access to higher education.
We do not want financial constraints to be the reason a young person from Indramayu stops dreaming. *To Parents: We Will Honor Your Trust*
To the parents entrusting your sons and daughters to Al-Amin today, I wish to convey one thing:
Thank you for the trust you have placed in us. We recognize that when a student attends university, the struggle is not theirs alone.
There are parents who forgo their own needs so their children can afford tuition. There are mothers who pray for their children every night.
There are fathers who may say little, yet work harder so their children can complete their education.
Therefore, every student who enters this campus carries the hopes of a family—hopes that we must not squander.
To New Students: Prove It!
My fellow new students of Al-Amin: I do not know exactly which of you will become a great leader. I do not know who will become a teacher that transforms the lives of their students.
Who among you become a school principal. Who will become an academic? Who will become an entrepreneur? Who will become a bureaucrat? Who will become a legislator? Who will become a religious scholar? Or who will one day lead Indramayu and Indonesia?
But I believe that seed exists within all of you. The campus’s duty is to help that seed grow. Your duty is to study earnestly.
Do not come to campus merely to obtain a diploma. Come to gain knowledge. Do not just chase grades; build character.
Do not just look for acquaintances; build friendships and networks. Do not think only about employment after graduation.
Think about what you can contribute to society once you possess knowledge.
*You May Be ‘No One’ Today, But That Does Not Mean You Lack Significance*
You might feel like a nobody today. That is fine. Almost all great journeys begin in obscurity. What matters is what you do from this day forward.
In four or five years, let us prove it. Prove that you can bring happiness to your parents. That you can elevate your family’s dignity. That you can benefit your community. That you can be part of the solution to Indramayu’s challenges and play a role in building Indonesia.
I would even like to say something perhaps more profound: We want to prove that our parents were not wrong to bring us into this world. They gave birth to individuals with potential. They entrusted the future to us.
So, do not let their sacrifices culminate in nothing more than a diploma. Let your knowledge eventually become a source of good deeds. Let your competence bring benefit. Let your achievements be a source of family pride, and let your life stand as proof that education has the power to transform a person.
*Welcome to Your Academic Home*
Finally, to all new Al-Amin students of the Class of 2026/2027, I say: Welcome to the Al-Amin Institute of Islamic Studies, Indramayu.
Get to know your campus and your lecturers. Build friendships. Expand your connections. Build your network. Seize every opportunity to learn.
Do not be afraid to dream big. You may come from an ordinary family—from the villages of Indramayu—facing various limitations.
But the future never asks where you come from.
The future asks what you do today.
So, starting today, instill this conviction within yourself:
I can do it.
I must learn.
I must grow.
I must be of service to others.
Today, you arrive as new students.
Four or five years from now, let us meet again in a different setting: you wearing your graduation robes, your parents smiling and weeping with joy, and all of us able to say with pride:
“We actually did it.”
And from this small, ever-growing campus here in Indramayu, we will send a message to Indonesia: young people from the regions can also become leaders.
Al-Amin is not merely a place for your studies. Al-Amin is a place where you prepare yourself to become an individual of knowledge and character—someone who creates and contributes meaningfully to the world.
Welcome, new generation of Al-Amin—future dreamers and leaders.
Today, we begin.
Tomorrow, we grow.
And one day, Indonesia will see what you are capable of achieving.
*Rector of the Al-Amin Institute of Islamic Studies, Indramayu*
Indramayu, September 12, 2026
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