Students of Universitas Islam Riau have once again achieved success in the Pageant event, Eni Mawati Hulu was elected as the Riau Forest Princess 2022 and will represent Riau at the National Forest Princess event which will be held on July 19, 2022 in Semarang, Central Java.
The Forest Princess is a the national beauty contest events that seeks talented individuals to become ambassadors for positive campaigns on forests, the environment, organic food, and social. The purpose of this event is to attract young Indonesians to be more sensitive and caring about forests and environmental issues. This beauty contest event is fostered by the Indonesian Forest Princess Foundation, founded by environmental activist Dominico Savio Ferjoko.
Eni, an International Relations’ student from FISIPOL UIR, also explained that the role of a selected Forest Princess is to promote a campaign for love of the environment and care for the sustainability of the forest, where Indonesia with its tropical rainforest area can be categorized as the third largest forest and also the lungs of the world according to Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) in 2013.
“My initial motivation to participate in this event stemmed from my concern about various environmental problems, especially those related to waste and household waste management in Pekanbaru, which, until now, have not been adequately addressed by the government,” stated Eni.
Eni also mentioned that her participation in the Riau Forest Princess election event at that time served as a valuable learning experience for her. It allowed her to develop relationships, gain insights, and contribute to educating the community about the importance of environmental preservation, especially for the millennial generation.
Furthermore, the woman from Padang Lawas, North Sumatra, explained the basic factors that a Forest Princess must have are the ability to invite the community to be sensitive and pay more attention to the environment such as public speaking skills, broad insights which in short can be concluded to must have “3B” criteria: beauty, brain, and behavior.
Regarding how she feels about being elected as the Riau Forest Princess 2022, Eni, who is also a finalist in the top 8 in the Riau Tourism Ambassador election event in 2022, expressed her gratitude to the parties who have supported her so far.
“Praise God! I am grateful to Him for the assistance I’ve received thus far. I also extend my thanks for the support and prayers from my parents, family, and the faculty, particularly the study program, who have been supportive since my participation in the Tourism Ambassador election until successfully being elected as the Forest Princess 2022 representing Riau,” she revealed.
Next, for her future plans, Eni, who is active as a journalist and content creator on several popular social media in Pekanbaru, said that she will focus on preparing herself to participate in the Indonesian Forest Princess election event which will be held in Semarang on July 19.
“Indeed, for my future plans, I will concentrate on preparing myself for the road to the Indonesian Forest Princess, then for my long-term plan, I will realize the work programs that I have offered before about educating the community related to waste management, tree planting, establishing a shelter for stray animals, and others,” said Eni.
The student, currently in the 8th semester and on the brink of completing her undergraduate studies, shared joyous news. After graduating from this bachelor program, she will immediately continue her master’s studies at Udayana University, Bali with the same study program. Eni has achieved the distinction of being selected as a scholarship recipient from the Indonesian Forest Princess Foundation. (kh/hms)
