Students Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) played their part in the cultural preservation and tourism of Semarang City. Their contributions were shown by their participation in the Tourism Ambassador of Semarang City 2025, also known locally as Denok Kenang.
The contest was initiated by the Tourism and Culture Service of Semarang City, with two Udinus students participating in it. Ridha Safira, from the Faculty of Humanities at Udinus, emerged as a finalist in the Denok category, while another Udinus student became a finalist in the Kenang category, namely, Ijlal Ibraazy Al-Mumtaaz, from the Faculty of Medicine (FK).
Despite not competing as a pair, both of them were among the 30 top finalists, outclassing hundreds of other participants. Ijlal uttered there was a series of processes since the registration was closed in April. These processes encompassed pre-audition sessions, auditions, city tours, quarantine, and the grand finale.
“From almost 300 participants, 70 of them were chosen. These 70 participants would later be filtered, leaving the top 30 finalists, consisting of 15 Denok (female participants) and 15 Kenang (male participants). After that, there would be a quarantine from May 20 to 23, 2025, in Jatirejo, Gunung Pati Sub-district. There, we learned more materials, took advanced written tests, and had deep interview sessions. Everything culminated in the Grand Finale, taking place in Taman Budaya Raden Saleh of Semarang City,” he explained.
Moreover, Ijlal also revealed that during the preparation for the contest, he actively involved himself in various online and offline roadshow events hosted by the Denok Kenang community.
According to him, there were many things he had learned, particularly about tourism, local culture, ethics, and attitudes as an ambassador. With his extensive preparation and firm determination, Ijlal won second place as a Kenang of Semarang City 2025.
Contributions to the City
With his newly attained title, Ijlal admitted that he would be committed to promoting tourism and the cultures of Semarang through creative education, particularly among youths.
“My target is to get involved in promotional tourism promotion and cultural preservation programs, particularly for youths,” he emphasized.
Not only that, Ridha Safira, one of the finalists and Udinus students, also had the same commitment as Ijlal did. Her eagerness to contribute to Semarang City was her reason to participate in the Tourism Ambassador of Semarang City 2025. During her participation in the event, she admitted that she received support from the campus.
“Udinus is really supportive of me. It is seen by how faculty members motivate me to participate in this event. After this, my target is to participate in even more prestigious events similar to this,” she concluded. (Humas Udinus/Penulis: Ika. Editor: Haris. Foto: Dok. Pribadi)
