Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) continues to strengthen its international outreach through a community engagement initiative conducted by Uswatun Hasanah, a PhD student from the Faculty of Education, UIII, at Sekolah Indonesia Riyadh (SIR), Saudi Arabia. The two-day public speaking workshop aimed to equip Indonesian students abroad with essential communication skills while promoting UIII as Indonesia’s only public international university. Although conducted over two days, the program consisted of one day of institutional meeting and one day dedicated to the workshop.

The program began on the first day with an institutional meeting involving the Education Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh, the school principal, and the school management team. The meeting focused on discussing the objectives of the workshop, aligning expectations, and exploring opportunities for future collaboration between Sekolah Indonesia Riyadh and UIII, particularly in supporting students’ academic and personal development.

The public speaking workshop was held on the second day and attended by junior high school students. Approximately 80 students participated onsite, while 12 students joined online through the school’s Distance Learning Program (PJJ), reflecting the school’s inclusive hybrid learning system. The participants represented the diverse profile of Sekolah Indonesia Riyadh, with many students coming from Indonesian–international mixed families. The school requires all students to be able to speak Bahasa Indonesia, reinforcing cultural identity among Indonesian diaspora youth.

In his opening remarks, the Principal of Sekolah Indonesia Riyadh, Mr. Nono Purnomo, expressed his sincere gratitude to UIII for the collaboration and conveyed his strong hope for continued cooperation in the future. He highlighted the school’s notable student achievements, including the participation of three SIR students in a United Nations–style international forum in Thailand. This achievement, he emphasized, further underlines the importance of public speaking skills in enabling students to confidently express ideas and represent themselves in international forums. He encouraged students to fully engage in the workshop, describing it as a rare and valuable opportunity to learn directly from an expert speaker from Indonesia.

Throughout the session, students demonstrated high levels of enthusiasm and active participation. They listened attentively to the materials and confidently shared opinions and responses without hesitation. The most engaging moment occurred during the practice session, where students worked in pairs to select one of eight provided topics, develop a short draft, rehearse together, and voluntarily present their ideas in front of the audience. The response exceeded expectations, with many students, both female and male, eagerly volunteering to present. Due to limited time, some students even competed for presentation opportunities by doing “suit” (rock-paper-scissors), reflecting their strong motivation to speak and receive immediate feedback.

During the workshop, the speaker shared compelling insights into why public speaking skills play a crucial role in academic success and future opportunities. Drawing from her personal educational journey, she explained how public speaking competence supported her success in securing three prestigious scholarships: the Indonesian English Language Study Program (IELSP) at Virginia Tech in 2011, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program at Ohio University in 2021–2022, and the LPDP Scholarship for her PhD studies at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia in 2024. She emphasized that strong communication skills were essential in passing rigorous scholarship interviews, particularly at the final selection stages. Visual presentations of her academic experiences in the United States and UIII further inspired students and provided concrete evidence that public speaking skills can open doors to global educational opportunities.

The session also introduced Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) as Indonesia’s only public international university, offering a world-class academic environment with international faculty members, global research networks, interdisciplinary Islamic studies, and cross-cultural learning experiences. Students were encouraged to see UIII as a future study destination where they can pursue internationally oriented higher education without leaving Indonesia.

This program reflects UIII’s commitment to meaningful community engagement and knowledge sharing beyond national borders. The positive responses from students and school leadership demonstrate the impact of the initiative and reinforce the shared aspiration for sustained collaboration between Sekolah Indonesia Riyadh and Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia in empowering Indonesian students to thrive academically and globally.