Technology and innovation are rarely associated with a bowl of soto. However, for Kylix Eza Saputra, a student of Informatics Engineering, Faculty of Computer Science, Universitas Brawijaya (FILKOM UB) class of 2020, his story began with the struggle of his mother who sold soto. This journey led him to become one of UB best graduates at the Period 12 of Graduation, Sunday, December 22, 2024. He achieved a GPA of 3.96 with a study period of 3 years and 11 months.
Kylix, who was born in Jakarta and raised in Blitar, grew up in a modest family. His mother, a single parent, worked as a cook and then sold soto to meet the family’s needs. When Kylix was accepted at UB, a big challenge awaited him because the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“At that time, our economic condition was very difficult. To just eat is very difficult, and there was an intention not to continue college,” he recalled.
However, luck was on his side when he received assistance from the Indonesia Smart College Card (KIPK). This assistance allowed him to complete his studies without economic obstacles.
Inspired by his mother’s struggles, Kylix developed an application that promotes Indonesian cuisine. His thesis is entitled “Development of a Mobile Application for Cooking Recipe Guides Using Android-Based Image Classification Methods”. This application not only presents recipes in text and video, but also uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology. With the image recognition feature, users can take pictures of food and get information about the dish.
“I want people to be more familiar with Indonesian cuisine and love domestic products through technology,” said Kylix.
During college, Kylix did not only focus on academics. He was active in organizations such as the RAION Community and the Google Developer Student Club. Due to his involvement, he managed to win various championships, including: 1st Place INTETION (Application and Web Development) IFEST Universitas Padjajaran 2021, 1st Place App Innovation HOLOGY 5.0 Universitas Brawijaya 2022, 3rd Place 8th Closer Hackathon Universitas Telkom 2022, and Top 15 Varsity Hackathon Universiti Sains Malaysia 2022.
Now, Kylix works as a Mobile Developer at a software house in Jakarta affiliated with large mining companies such as Freeport and Antam. However, he didn’t stop there. “With the knowledge I have, I want to continue to be a tech enthusiast who develops digital products that are useful for society,” he said.
In his spare time, Kylix enjoys analyzing the stock market and reading company financial reports. For him, the world of technology and economics are two things that complement each other.
“By reading economic, social, and political news, I can find out the current conditions and what actions need to be taken to prevent or take advantage of future conditions,” he concluded. [Irene/UB PR/Trans. Iir]
