Once again, a student from the Islamic University of Riau has achieved success in a pageant competition. Eni Mawati Hulu was selected as the Riau Forest Princess 2022 and will represent Riau in the National Forest Princess competition scheduled for July 19, 2022, in Semarang, Central Java.
The Forest Princess competition is a national beauty pageant that seeks talented individuals to become ambassadors for positive campaigns related to forests, the environment, organic food, and social issues. The goal of this competition is to involve young Indonesians to be more aware and concerned about forests and environmental issues. The beauty pageant is organized by the Indonesian Forest Princess Foundation, founded by environmental activist Dominico Savio Ferjoko.
Eni, a student of the International Relations program at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, shared that the role of a selected Forest Princess is to promote campaigns for environmental love and forest preservation. Indonesia, with its vast tropical rainforest area, is ranked third globally and is considered the lungs of the world according to Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) 2013.
“My initial motivation for participating in this competition stemmed from my concern about various environmental issues, especially related to waste and household waste management in Pekanbaru, which has not yet received a satisfactory solution from the government,” said Eni.
Eni also mentioned that her participation in the Riau Forest Princess competition was a valuable learning experience for her. It allowed her to develop relationships, gain insights, and provide education on environmental preservation, particularly for the millennial generation.
Furthermore, the woman from Padang Lawas, North Sumatra, explained that fundamental factors for a Forest Princess include the ability to engage the community to be more aware and attentive to the environment, such as public speaking skills, broad knowledge. In short, a Forest Princess must have the 3Bs: beauty, brain, and behavior.
Regarding her feelings about being selected as the Riau Forest Princess 2022, Eni, who is also a Top 8 Finalist in the Riau Tourism Ambassador 2022 competition, expressed her gratitude to those who have supported her.
“Praise God, I am grateful to God for helping me until now. Thank you also for the support and prayers from my parents and family, as well as to the faculty, especially the program, which has supported me since I participated in the Riau Tourism Ambassador competition until being selected as the Forest Princess 2022 representing Riau,” she explained.
Looking ahead, Eni, who is active as a journalist and content creator on several popular social media platforms in Pekanbaru, stated that she will focus on preparing for the Forest Princess Indonesia competition scheduled in Semarang on July 19.
“Yes, for my future plans, I will focus on preparing for the road to Forest Princess Indonesia. As for the long-term plans, I will implement the work programs that I offered earlier about educating the community regarding waste management, planting trees, establishing shelters for stray animals, and more,” said Eni.
The student, who is currently in her eighth semester and will soon complete her undergraduate studies, also shared the happy news that after completing her undergraduate degree, she will continue her master’s studies (S2) at Udayana University in Bali in the same program. Eni has been selected to receive a scholarship from the Indonesian Forest Princess Foundation. (kh/hms)
