Nothing Coincidence

“The gap years, the shifts, the risks, they aren’t setbacks. They are part of my growth.”

• Life in Motion

Life rarely stays still. Mine has shifted through many chapters, senior high school, the pandemic, dreams of studying abroad, dentistry, a gap year, returning to my birth city, moving into management, exploring multidisciplinary fields, building projects along the way, and many more.

In July 2025, I turned 22. Not just a girl anymore, but still learning what it means to grow into a young woman. Since I deactivated my Instagram account, people couldn’t easily know my updates. Some asked why. But I found gratitude instead, because the ones who matter, my family, my team, my closest friends, still showed up for me and celebrated my birthday.

• Courage Creates Space

On 17 August, I read a quote:

“Your courage will open doors not just for you, but for countless others who will rise because you dared to go first. Don’t shrink to survive. Expand to lead.”

That’s what I felt when building BaekBarengan, our community that turns five years this September. Starting was never about having all the answers. It was about being brave and trusting. And once the first step is taken, people with the same vision and values appear. They walk beside you, and sometimes they even push you further.

With BaekBarengan teams, live meeting from some countries and citites

Through this journey, I’ve met mentors and coaches who share generously because someone once did the same for them. Their kindness inspired me to do the same thing to create spaces where others can also win.

I learned that, kindness is not weakness. Kindness is never decreasing our blessings. It doubles it, to make you feel something that giving it’s also beautiful.

I want to say thank you to coach Arih, kak Jess, kak Aji, and many people who have supported me and helped me on my journey, even since I was a senior high school student, especially Coach Arih, who has always rooted me in my growth journey until now.

• A Foundation from the Bottom

With Nyimas as my partner, best friend, and co-founder of BaekBarengan

Years ago, I thought, “I want to build a foundation”. Then came the second thought, “But I’m not rich enough yet to start a foundation. I think I’m not ready enough, it’s not the right time”.

Now I see it differently. Foundations don’t always start with millions. They start with one act. Supporting someone’s UTBK journey. Offering a safe space for girls to grow. These steps may look small, but they are part of something priceless.

Sometimes we don’t realize we’re already building the future we once dreamed of. And we didn’t realize that we’re living in our childhood dreams.

• Who Am I Becoming?

Graduation feels closer. And I often ask: Who do I want to be in two years? In five years from now?

In two years, I’ll graduate at 23, still young and more mature. If I want to meet the best version of myself, then I have to build her now. It means using these years as opportunities to explore dreams and sharpen my character.

I know character is not made easily. Sometimes life humbles you. Sometimes life gives you a festive.

And the questions go deeper:

What kind of daughter do I want to be now?

What kind of sister? Friend? Leader?

Wife and mom, do you wanna to show up in the future?

Captcured by my dad with my brother in Jogja

We have to show up anyway. We can’t always wait for others to do those things for us. We also don’t only show up when it’s perfect.

Do these things by yourself and at least for yourself. You get something when you’re moving, not by waiting passively.

We have many roles and responsibilities in our lives, but we are capable of doing all of them.

• Lessons in Patience and Resilience

We don’t always get what we want, but often, we get what we need. When the doors don’t open, sometimes they redirect us.

I have a million dreams. Sometimes I whisper, “When is my turn?” when it comes that external things can happen in unexpected ways that we thought they would. But I’ve learned maybe it’s not about when. Maybe this season is about preparation. You’re being prepared to get ready.

It’s not about whether we are worthy enough or not, but sometimes it’s also the timing.

Year by year, we grow, and maybe we change so fast. The zig-zag in life looks like a random line, but it is also part of the story. Maybe we can’t meet the other version of ourselves without this messy and long journey.

From the GRIT book by Angela Duckworth, I keep this line: “We change when we need to. Necessity is the mother of adaptation". And I think, resilience is a weapon.

• 22

If Taylor Swift, in my tween to teenage years, sang 22, now I’m in this age.

“It’s miserable and magical”.

22 is a crossroads. Some see it as the age closer to the marriage stage, while others still call it “too young.” For me, it’s the right time to take risks.

Even though in the first line we seem to step back, we can always move forward beautifully.

Someone told me that he will always support me and decide to achieve our dreams together. I still remember that, and I still hold the dreams.

22, it's so challenging, maybe not because of this age, but because I make some decisions. Sometimes it feels like going to the unknown.

But I remember, when we can clearly see the stars and the beauty within in the night, so the darkness doesn’t always seem so scary.

If life feels so heavy and uncertain, trust me, rain doesn’t always happen, the sunset will disappear, and morning can change into the night. It's temporary, we will pass this like before. And so are we?

• Wider Horizons

Now I dive into business, tech, and sustainability, while keeping curiosity alive in foreign policy and economics.

This October, my team and I will pitch at JIEXPO. The original schedule in September was postponed. Indonesia faced unpredictable conditions, reminding me how politics, law, and governance shape everything.

It made me realize that learning only from one classroom, one city, or one discipline is never enough.

And yes, it’s hard. Heavy decisions, challenging choices, painful steps. But those are the ones that sharpen us. They are the experiences no one can take away.

Since we got the announcement about the pitching schedule being postponed, we're already in Jakarta, doing preparation and bonding at the same time. So, we took the chance to play paddle together, because for me, exercise also trains our teamwork, allows us to have fun together, and helps us practice the right mindset.

I choose them because we all love exploring, enjoy adventures, have curiosity, and we want to always grow. I am so grateful to have them as my friends and my team.

Paddle with the girls

Because big dreams always require growth. Growth isn’t meant to be easy. But when we choose the worthy hard path, we level up.

And if we want to go further, we have to go together. Find the right people, build a supportive environment, and play the long term game.

So, for my 22-year journey, I've seen that nothing is accidental, even if it takes time to fully understand why, but every decision, gap year phase, changing major, building a community, and even setting back has been the foundation that shaped Hasna into who she is today.

Let’s celebrate the journey we take.