Forty-five days is enough time to create no shortage of stories. For UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's Batch 120 KKN (Community Service Program) students, Wunung Village, Wonosari Sub-district, Gunungkidul Regency, was more than just a site of service; it became a space to learn, to share, and to grow alongside the community.

That story of togetherness came to a close with the closing ceremony for the Batch 120 KKN students, held at the Wunung Village Hall on Friday, August 21, 2026. The event was attended by all members of the Batch 120 KKN team, village officials, two Field Supervising Lecturers (DPL), Riswanti Budi Sekaringsih, M.Sc., and Ihya Ulumuddin, M.Sos., as well as the Internal Oversight Unit (SPI) team and PPID team from UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta: Syaifullahil Maslul, Syaiful Fakhri, M.Psi., and Noviastuti Putri Indrasari, M.A.

In her remarks, DPL representative Riswanti Budi Sekaringsih, S.E., M.Sc., expressed appreciation and gratitude to the community and officials of Wunung Village for welcoming and supporting the students over the past 45 days. She also praised the various programs the students had carried out and offered an apology for anything during their time there that may have caused discomfort.

Riswanti expressed hope that the relationships built during KKN would not end once the students left the village. The experience of living within the community, she said, is meant to serve as a foundation for students to keep contributing, carrying that same spirit of service back to their own communities.

A wave of emotion filled the room as representatives of the Wunung Village Government addressed the students. Village Head Sudarto thanked the UIN Sunan Kalijaga KKN students for their presence and service over the past 45 days.

According to him, the students' presence brought a distinct energy to community life. The various activities the students carried out, including those that inspired residents to get creative and be active together, are hoped to continue inspiring the community, particularly young people and the local youth organization (Karang Taruna).

Sudarto also encouraged the students to see KKN not as the end of their learning journey, but as the beginning of a continued pursuit of knowledge and self-development. He even invited students to keep visiting Wunung even after their KKN period had ended.

“The community here is always open to having you visit Wunung,” he said.

That message seemed to affirm that the bonds built during KKN don't have to end with the students' departure. A social connection has grown here, one that can continue to be nurtured even after students return to campus.

A similar sentiment was shared by KKN student Hilmi Nafi Arrafiq, who said the people of Wunung had made the students feel not like outsiders, but like part of the family. The community's warmth, he said, was one of the most valuable parts of his experience during his service there.

“Even though today's theme might be farewell, we hope this is not really the end,” he said, expressing hope that the various programs carried out would continue to benefit the people of Wunung.

Fellow student representative Arham Athillah also expressed gratitude for the community's openness in welcoming and supporting the students, offering an apology for any words or conduct during their time in Wunung that may have fallen short.

The closing ceremony was then marked symbolically by student representatives removing their KKN jackets and putting their UIN Sunan Kalijaga almamater jackets back on.

This simple ceremony carried a meaning beyond mere formality. The KKN jacket being removed symbolized the end of their service period in Wunung, while the almamater jacket being put back on served as a reminder that the experience shared with the community would be carried back with the students into academic life.

Over the course of 45 days, students did more than carry out their work programs; they also learned to understand community life firsthand. They learned that service isn't only about completing a program, but about relationships, care, and the ability to show up and truly listen to a community's needs.

As part of the closing ceremony, the event also included a session titled “Legal Education on Public Information Disclosure to Build Accountable Village Governance.” The session was delivered by Secretary of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's Internal Oversight Unit (SPI) and Faculty of Sharia and Law lecturer, Syaifullahil Maslul, M.H.

In general, the session invited village officials to understand the importance of information disclosure alongside the need for care in managing public information and personal information alike. This strengthened understanding is hoped to support village governance that is transparent, accountable, and responsible.

This material rounded out the closing ceremony in a spirit aligned with the broader mission of university community service: bringing knowledge to life and delivering real benefit to the community.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga, KKN is more than an academic program that brings students and communities together for a set period of time. KKN is part of an educational process that teaches students to bring knowledge to life through real experience, to build social awareness, and to learn from the wisdom of the community itself.

That's why, as students put their almamater jackets back on and left Wunung behind, what they carried home was more than just reports and program outcomes. There was experience, friendship, and life lessons that will become part of their journey, both as members of the academic community and as members of society.

From Wunung, students learned that service was never about how long you stay, but about how much your presence comes to mean to others. (humassk)