From Idle Moments to Purpose: How Becoming a Medical Coordinator Changed My Life

They say college is all about finding yourself, but sometimes it feels more like finding ways to fill the time. It wasn’t that I had loads of free time, but I couldn’t stand the thought of doing nothing. Those moments between classes or long weekends stretching ahead felt like a challenge—a blank canvas waiting to be filled. I used to wonder, what if I crammed every spare moment with activities? Would that unlock some secret level of productivity, some hidden key to academic success? But when those free moments arrived, I found myself drifting, unsure of what to do.

It was more than boredom; it was this nagging sense of being lost, like potential was slipping through my fingers. A week into a holiday break, I couldn’t take the inactivity anymore, and that’s when my search for purpose began.

It’s a long story (maybe for another time), but it involved soul-searching, deep conversations with people from all walks of life—from marginalized communities to influential figures—and exploring different religious views. After all that, I found the answer was something simple, something that had always been within me: spreading good. Funny how life works, right?

But knowing your purpose is one thing; putting it into action is another. I wanted to make a real impact, to reach as many people as possible. That’s when it hit me: I could become the medical coordinator at ITB. It felt like the perfect way to start.

With the unwavering support of my friends (who became my best friends through this whole experience), I signed up. Before I knew it, I was the coordinator for the medical division of OSKM ITB 2019. Suddenly, I had the opportunity to spread good to over 400 students who would make up the medical team for the event.

The learning curve was steep for all of us—my friends who joined as teachers and me. We put everything into designing a program that wasn’t just about teaching first aid or emergency response; we wanted it to be fun, humanizing, and meaningful. Our goal was to equip these students with the skills they needed while also helping them find purpose and compassion in what they did.

Seeing those students every day, watching them grow, was incredible. All those late nights spent planning and strategizing, every resource we poured in—it was all worth it. The bonds we formed, the shared sense of purpose, made it something truly special.

Becoming the medical coordinator for OSKM wasn’t just about preparing students for emergencies. It was about empowering them to become medics in every sense of the word, to carry the spirit of menebar kebaikan (spreading good) with them through their college years and beyond. I truly believe those students have thrived, becoming leaders who are making positive impacts on their own communities.