Student of IPB Won 2nd Winner in National’s Most Outstanding Student
A Bogor Agricultural University student (IPB) is achieving again the national arena. After last year’s top three most outstanding students title had changed hands, this year, Arga Putra Panatagama, student of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) IPB succeeded in bringing the title back. He admitted that he could not hold back his happiness when his name was mentioned on the night of the awarding of the National’s Most Outstanding Student by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) RI at Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Surakarta (13/7).
"I am motivated because I was inspired by Ado, my senior who is the most outstanding student of IPB in 2017. However, honestly my main motivation is to give benefit for the others and being the best human being," he said.
Signing up for the most outstanding student candidate for him is an opportunity to gain a lot of experience, lessons and of course to share the goodness he gets to others around him whether family, friends and other students.
The journey to achieve this feat certainly not short for Arga. He said, when he was a first year student in IPB, he was only a normal student who only studying for college without joining any non-academic activities on campus. Until one time, Arga was involved in the committee of the Introduction of New Student Campus (MPKMB) and got the trust to be the leader of the Design Subdivision and the Core Team of the World Record Formation.
This committee becomes the point of awareness for an Arga that he has been too long to be in the comfort zone and only think of himself. Arga began to declare a dream to become outstanding student in February 2017 and try to achieve it by participating in various competitions with Guntur and Yoga, his teammates in the Department of Computer Science.
"The twists and turns of the journey is certainly very long. I finally know how it feels like to make presentations and practice presentations at six hours before the competition, sleeping at the airport for days to complete the application, staying upstairs at almost two o'clock in the morning and other unforgettable things. I remember all that well," Arga said.
Even after being elected as The Most Outstanding Student on IPB level, Arga’s struggle become heavier. In the period of April to May 2018, Arga fell ill every week even had to be hospitalized because oftyphoid. But thanks to the support from the closest people everything went fine, he said.
The "Food Patriot" program written by Arga in his scientific writing was able to attract the attention of the jury. Food Patriot is a real-time early warning system of food insecurity based on e-participation of local community to support sustainable development. The Food Patriot involves local communities such as youth group consisting of village youth.
Youths participated by reporting food insecurity conditions from the ten poorest families in their village through mobile applications. Hopefully with this food patriot, the community can be free from food crisis.
Arga who is also active as President of the Computer Science Student Association (Himalkom) really likes to read book. "I always read books on my spare time," he said.
He advised, we are not necessarily to be the most outstanding student to be able to excel. When we can be better than ourselves in yesterday and we can be beneficial for the people around we are already excelling, he said. (FM)
