Taking the Lead: Bringing Google Developer Student Clubs to Campus
Tags: Community, GDSC, Leadership, Tech Education, University Life
The Pandemic Pivot
The COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia around March 2020, and by September, everything had changed. Normal college days were over. We transitioned entirely to online learning, meaning no physical clubs, no campus activities, and a whole lot of screen fatigue. The isolation was starting to cause some real stress.
But amidst the chaos of studying from home, I received some incredible news: I was officially accepted as the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) Lead to represent my university, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani Yogyakarta.
The Spark: A Random Banner
I had actually been waiting almost a year for this opportunity. It started back in 2019 when I attended an AWS community event at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). While there, I noticed a standing banner that said "Supported by Developer Student Clubs and powered by Google Developers."
That caught my attention. I Googled it immediately after the event, only to find that the registrations for that year had already closed. I noted the eligibility requirements—specifically that you needed to be an active university student with at least one year left before graduation—and discussed it with my close friend, Riyan. We agreed: next year, we had to try.
Fast forward to April 2020. The registration window for the APAC region finally opened. I submitted my detailed information, answered the essay questions, and recorded the mandatory YouTube introduction video explaining why I should be chosen as a GDSC Lead.
Surviving the Interview
The next phase was the interview. I booked my time slot, prepared my notes, and jumped on the call with the DSC team. Then, the unexpected happened: my internet connection completely destabilized. Despite testing it beforehand, the connection dropped, and I had to awkwardly reschedule the call.
For the second attempt, I made absolutely sure my network was bulletproof. I opted to do the 30-minute interview in English. We covered my background, my previous experience handling events, and how I planned to gather support for a completely voluntary community. But the most important part of the interview was explaining my "Why."
I gave the interviewers three specific reasons why my campus desperately needed this program:
- Uncapped Potential: I observed that the students in my faculty were smart and eager to learn, but there was no dedicated space to channel their ideas or share technical knowledge. Existing student unions focused heavily on organizational politics but lacked the practical, technical skill-building needed to actually land a job in tech.
- Overcoming the Inferiority Complex: Our campus was relatively new and had just rebranded as a university. Because of this, there was a lingering sense of inferiority among the students compared to older, more established state universities. I wanted to build a community that proved we could improve ourselves and compete on our own merits.
- Beyond the Surface: One of my lecturers once told me, "University classes only teach you the surface materials. You have to learn the rest on your own outside the class. As a lecturer, I only facilitate and guide you." This club would be the vehicle for that outside learning.
Getting to Work
Last month, I finally received the official confirmation letter.
Behind the scenes, I had already been laying the groundwork. I spoke with my academic counselor (who is also the head of the department) to secure his support as our Faculty Advisor, which is a core requirement from Google. We also made a highly strategic decision: we are running this as an independent community, not as an official Student Activity Unit (UKM). Because we operate under Google's selection period rather than the university's UKM timeline, staying independent saves us from drowning in endless formal campus bureaucracy—something I definitely wanted to avoid!
A massive thank you to Mr. Aris for providing the support and giving us this opportunity. I have already started pulling together my core team from the brightest people I know.
The campus might be closed, but the work is just beginning. Let’s get to work!