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Fairuz won third place in this prestigious competition, competing with participants from various academic levels, from undergraduate to doctoral programs. Fairuz advanced to the final round of the competition, held at the Fairmount Hotel Jakarta on Thursday (April 10, 2025), where he presented his innovative work, “Commuting to Well-Being: Mental Health Measurement & Support”.

In the competition, he highlighted an important but often overlooked issue in everyday life: the mental stress faced by Jakarta’s KRL (commuter line) commuters. His work aims to increase understanding of how crucial mental health is in daily commuting routines, especially in the Greater Jakarta area.

“I was interested in participating in EYSA 2025 because I wanted to showcase my research project as a form of concern for the stress experienced by KRL users, especially those who have to struggle every day through the hectic commute to work or school,” said Fairuz.

Based on his own experience as a KRL user during a year of working in Jakarta, Fairuz analyzed the correlation between commute duration with users’ stress levels. The findings showed that the longer the duration, the lower the commuters’ quality of life.

Furthermore, he found that most users who felt stressed did not seek psychological help. “This is due to the perception that stress is a normal part of life, the negative stigma in society, and the low literacy level regarding mental health services,” he said.

As a solution, Fairuz included a feature in his platform that maps the location of trusted and nearest psychological services based on the user’s position. The goal of this feature is to help people get access to timely and appropriate help.

Fairuz explained the important steps he took. He started by determining the problem, then collecting and analyzing data, and finally visualizing the information through a WebGIS platform developed using ESRI software.

“My strategy was simple – stay disciplined and keep making progress, even during the holidays, or while juggling classwork and my master’s thesis,” he stated.

The greatest challenge he faced during this project was managing his time consistently. Amidst his busy schedule of lectures and thesis proposal preparation, Fairuz remained committed to completing the project gradually and systematically.

Finishing his story, Fairuz urged students who want to participate in similar events to “Stay enthusiastic during the process, focus on the problems you want to solve, and think of the tangible benefits your work can bring to society,” he said.

Reporter: Indira Akmalia Hendri (Urban and Regional Planning, 2021)
Translator: Senandung Shauma Bidadari (Management, 2026)