Being dominated by students from the Information and Technology study program does not mean that Bangkit program is closed to other study programs. This program actually opens up opportunities for students from other study programs to get the same experience, as experienced by Farhah Farida Milah, or Millah.
Millah is a student of the Statistics study program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Brawijaya University who will be a participant in the 2023 Bangkit program. Even though she initially felt doubtful, in the end Millah still registered to be part of this program, after realizing the various potentials offered.
Millah is not alone. She joined with Melati Eka Putri from the University of Indonesia, Lingga Rohaddyan and Fanny Limin from Gunadarma University, Sadira Taruna Calvindoro and Muhammad Hilmy Tsany from Diponegoro University, and produced Calorify.
Calorify is an application that helps calculate daily calorie needs. This idea is motivated by the high risk of death from degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension and so on, which will reach 87.5 percent in 2022. “This application can calculate the number of calories in food through images. So, this application offers a personalized experience for users,” she said. Calorify works according to assessments from users who know their needs, daily calorie preferences and healthy food recommendations according to their calorie needs, using their fingertips only, according to the tagline “Personalized guidance, effortless tracking and health at your fingertips”.
Calorify research, according to Millah, started during the capstone period in May. “While working on the capstone for one month, our team succeeded in creating an application, but it was still only locally based. Then continued during the incubation period, our team developed the application and conducted user interviews and fixed existing bugs, until finally it was released in November, but our team is still developing the data base and UI/UX design. For the database in the form of Indonesian food photos, we asked friends who like to capture food photos to share their work,” explained this 2020 batch student.
“Of course, none of this was possible without great teamwork. In the future, we plan to continue developing Calorify so that it becomes an application that is useful and has an impact on society, to live a healthy life with a good diet,” she added.
The team’s hard work has paid off. Millah and friends succeeded in becoming part of the 20 best teams of the 2023 Bangkit, and received funding assistance of 140 million rupiahs. She also invited students who were still unsure to participate in this program.
“Remember that we all have the same chances and opportunities to participate in this program. Nothing can stop your progress, as long as you have determination, enthusiasm and a strong desire to learn. Believe me, every small step we take is an investment for the future. Believe in yourself and take every challenge as an opportunity to grow,” she concluded.
Bangkit Academy is a career preparation program led by Google Indonesia and in collaboration with several large technology industries such as Gojek and GoTo. This digital and communication technology skills development program is also supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology to provide students with opportunities to develop skills relevant to the technology industry. (Intan/VQ/ UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
