Semarang — The Student Achievement Selection (Pilmapres) is an inter-tertiary student competition organized by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia (Dirjen Dikti Kemendikbud RI). Since 2013, the Pilmapres has become a very prestigious event for almost all tertiary institutions in Indonesia, including Diponegoro University (Undip).

In 2020, the name Undip was honored by a student from the Faculty of Engineering named Amanda Margareth Inganta Sebayang who managed to rank second among Achieving Students in Indonesia. In the same year, the Department of Communication was made proud of the selection of one of the best students of the Undergraduate Communication Science study program as the 1st winner in The Outstanding Student’s Undip 2020 Mapping, namely Tjen Maurilia Zerlina, class of 2018.

As The Outstanding Student, Tjen certainly has a myriad of achievements. Three of them are recipients of the XL Future Leaders scholarship, internships through the Business and Development Internship program at Narasi. tv, and won a gold medal in the Advanced Innovation Global Competition at Nanyang University, Singapore in 2019. Not only that, but Tjen is also very experienced in organizing. During his study, he was active in three well-known organizations, namely AIESEC Semarang, LPM OPINI, and XL Future Leader.

Previously, it had never occurred to Tjen to become The Outstanding Student. So far, he has only followed the flow because he was initially appointed as a representative by the department. Feeling the need to maximize the opportunity, Tjen also followed all processes in earnest. In addition to preparing the documents needed, according to the Tjen, physical and mental preparation is no less important. She knew that this series of processes would be grueling and that inner preparation would help her through the tough times.

For Tjen, the balance between academic and non-academic is the key in selecting The Outstanding Students. GPA above 3.00 must be maintained because it is a very important point. However, the organizational experience is also something that needs to be possessed.

“Joining an organization or participating in a competition is an important point. Because you have to have ten achievements if you can list them all. So, it’s more about competition and experience, but it doesn’t rule out the possibility that academic achievement can also support it, “added Tjen.

Tjen feels that being focused and resilient is the attitude that can lead him to become The Outstanding Student like he is today. The statement was not without reason, Tjen admitted that the process he went through was quite long and tiring. Apart from that, he must also be consistent in his attitude and maintain his good image.

“Because after becoming The Outstanding Student you hold the title as ‘Mawapres’ and people will see you from your behavior, from how you behave, and whether you reflect that title or not,” said Tjen.

The process of becoming The Outstanding Student not only took a lot of time and was tiring, but he also admitted that he had many advantages. Through this program, he has the opportunity to expand social networking, hones public speaking, and learn new things from his friends at The Outstanding Student’s. Thanks to that, he has had several opportunities to become a speaker at various webinars.

Not to forget, he advised all students who are interested in becoming The Outstanding Student’s to stick to their commitments, do their best, and follow the process seriously. He also hopes that this year’s The Outstanding Student’s program will not experience obstacles such as delays in the information.

According to him, honing student creativity and innovation requires preparation and cannot be rushed by time. He also suggested expanding networking and creating good communication with anyone because support from other people is important.

“I also hope that we can perform well, who are truly accomplished and have a contribution. Not only holding the The Outstanding Student’s title,” concluded Tjen.

Reporter: Amelia Nuraini Purnomo

Author: Dinda Khansa Berlian

Editor: Dian Rahma Fika A.