A Transformative Voyage: From Curiosity to Active Participation in the Pursuit of Sustainable Global Change.

The spark of curiosity has ignited the desire for transferring knowledge. Curiosity has kept me moving forward and opening new doors. I am Kayla Nurfayza Masy’al, a person who is highly passionate in fostering learning and development in the field of education. Currently I am  pursuing a bachelor degree in English Literature at Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia.  

Through this article, I would like to tell my journey in becoming a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) promoter. Back in 2022, I was looking for a student exchange program when I first found the term  “Sustainable Development Goals”. Initially, I was unfamiliar with its significance, prompting  me to dig deeper into its meaning and implementations. It was surprising to me because by  SDGs, people across all countries can unite and collaborate by having the same goal to achieve  a better world. Motivated by this vision, I immediately signed up for a student exchange  program that supports achieving SDGs named AFS Global STEM Academies. This program  required me to have a big curiosity because I just had a little idea about SDGs at that time.  

Wide eyes and an open mouth with a loss for words found in myself that midnight in July last year when I was officially announced for being a scholarship recipient at AFS G-STEM Academies program in Brazil 2022. During the program, I had the opportunity to exchange ideas with brilliant youth all over the world. They all showed a big enthusiasm to participate in achieving SDGs with their innovative ideas for a sustainable project. There was one day when we made a sustainable soap project from used oil which made me believe that I contributed to  a better world. Also, it made me believe in the power of youth who are given unlimited ideas  to achieve a better future, proven by the end of the program when we had a project idea  presentation that was related to SDGs. I was so grateful to participate in this program because  I could leverage my knowledge, including the topics of climate change, sustainable energy,  and many more. Since then, I have committed myself to always make a sustainable impact in  supporting the SDGs.

Kayla Nurfayza Masy’al (left) pouring used cooking oil to make am eco-soap at IFRN Natal as part of one of the many activities experienced during the AFS Global STEM Academies 2023 (Brazil) program

When I came back from the program, I started to reflect on all the problems that are still happening in my lovely country. I decided to dive deeper on education issues because I have a  huge interest in it and I would like to contribute myself to solve the problem. At first I had not  seen in reality where the inequality of education in Indonesia happens until I decided to be  involved in a campus biggest organization, student executive board of Universitas Padjadjaran.  I chose the department of social society because one of their programs is Taman Ilmu,  translated : Knowledge Park, where we had a task to teach the students in elementary school  which still lack education opportunities. My first day of teaching came, the song lyrics from  Taylor swift titled Snow on the beach echoed in my mind, this scene feels like what I once saw  on a screen. I saw where students study at school without shoes on, lack of school facilities,  lack of teachers, and so on. I felt more motivated to take action and make a positive difference  by advocating for equal educational opportunities for all and contributing myself to teach there,  while also supporting the world to achieve SDG point 4: Quality Education. 

During my teaching, I loved when the students showed their big curiosity regarding the knowledge that I gave. We also played the traditional games from Indonesia. We laughed and shared a bond together. I could see their happy faces when we gave them a small candy as an appreciation for those who could answer the questions. We closed the event by taking pictures together and it was very lovely. My first teaching was very memorable. It has motivated me to ask myself more about what I can give to others. Especially as a youth, we have the obligation to determine our future, which means the future is in our hands.

Kayla and her friends posing for a picture with the children they shared knowledge to as previously mentioned.

Kayla and her friends posing for a picture with the children they shared knowledge to as previously mentioned.

All my experiences and achievements felt like nothing if I kept it to myself. However, there is one  important factor that has led me to the experiences and achievements that I have. That factor is  the English language. English has played a significant role in my life. My aspiration to  contribute to the field of education in Indonesia has slowly begun to materialize through  sharing knowledge of the English language on social media. I want the people who watch to  also feel the opportunities that I have gained from deepening my understanding of English.  

Additionally, I am actively sharing my organizational experiences and scholarships that I have obtained. One of the greatest achievements I have achieved so far in sharing knowledge on social media is gaining an audience of 131,5K on my personal TikTok account @pheelomath. In these videos, I share the benefits that I have gained from deepening my understanding of the  English language. I received hundreds of positive comments, which has motivated me to continue sharing knowledge with many people. Seeing others benefit from what I share is my greatest motivation to continue contributing on a larger scale. 

Last August, I decided to build a community called Alter Space.ID where people can alter themselves into a better version. The idea behind it was because I felt that social media can be  a very useful thing if we use it widely, such as getting access to knowledge freely and easily.  It’s a community to gather people who are willing to learn English and find a right place for  themselves to grow. We have a weekly meeting to have discussions and learn English together,  starting from grammar, speaking, writing, and much more. I feel so grateful and happy to see that I have a lot of partners to learn together, being engaged with the people who have the same  vision and passion. I do really hope that this community will be spread wider to create a bigger  impact on quality education.

Indeed, all the things that I did to support quality education have not been that much. But we must keep in mind, the world has 1.2 billion young people and if we all start to contribute from the smallest thing, we can create a sustainable and better future. 

Feel free to contact me at kaylamasyal@gmail.com or @kaylafzs on Instagram. 

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My best, 

Kayla Nurfayza Masy’al (Indonesia)