Surakarta, June 6, 2025 – Monica Hana Widyardhita, an undergraduate student from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), has won 1st Place in a national essay competition organized by the Pharmaceutical and Food Analysis Student Association (HMJ Anafarma) of the Surakarta Ministry of Health Polytechnic. The competition was part of a national webinar series focused on the crucial theme, “Cholesterol Lowering and Antioxidant Strategies for a Healthy Heart.”
The online competition, which ran from May 14 until the winner’s announcement on June 6, 2025, attracted students from numerous leading universities in Indonesia. Monica Hana’s essay, titled “The Urgency of Optimizing the Fermentation Process of Red Yeast Rice as a Traditional Cholesterol-Lowering Food Ingredient to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease in Indonesia,” captivated the panel of judges. Her success highlights her ability to construct arguments based on scientific evidence and apply critical thinking relevant to modern health challenges.
This achievement aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by focusing on cardiovascular disease prevention through cholesterol and antioxidant strategies. It also supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) by promoting research, analysis, and scientific writing skills, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), reflected in the idea of optimizing a traditional food source like red yeast rice for health benefits.
“I am very grateful and proud of this achievement. I hope the ideas about optimizing red yeast rice can open new perspectives on using traditional foods for heart health in Indonesia,” said Monica Hana Widyardhita.
This victory not only brings honor to Gadjah Mada University, especially the Faculty of Pharmacy, but also serves as a clear testament to the quality of education and research its students produce. It is hoped that this accomplishment will spark further innovation and positive contributions from the academic community in addressing public health issues.
