The Inspiring Story of Nabil Bintang Prayoga: The Son of a Traditional Herbal Remedy Vendor Who Went On to Become IPB University’s Top Graduate
Nabil Bintang Prayoga, affectionately known as Bintang, a graduate of the Statistics and Data Science program at IPB University, has proven that financial limitations are no barrier to achieving outstanding success.
At the VII Commencement Ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic year last July, Bintang graduated with a near perfect cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3,99, ultimately being named the Top Graduate of the School of Data Science, Mathematics, and Informatics as well as the Top Graduate of IPB University’s Undergraduate Program.
A graduate of SMAN 1 Subah in Batang Regency, Central Java, she pursued her academic path through the SNMPTN (now SNBP) admissions process with the support of a Kartu Indonesia Pintar Kuliah (KIP-K) scholarship.
“I am deeply grateful to have completed this journey as the top graduate. I dedicate this achievement to my parents and my older siblings, who have always offered their prayers, support, and encouragement. My mom always says that the best legacy parents can give is an education,” he said.
“Even though both of my parents are only high school graduates, they managed to send both of their children to college, and we both became the top graduates at our respective universities. For me, this achievement is the result of prayers, hard work, and family support,” explained Bintang regarding the support behind his accomplishment.
Coming from a modest family, his parents run a beauty salon and a herbal medicine shop, Bintang sees the KIP-K scholarship as his main motivation to study hard.
“I’m interested in how data can be processed into useful information to support decision-making. Additionally, this program has an excellent reputation in Indonesia with a curriculum that combines statistics and data science,” said Bintang, explaining why he chose the Statistics and Data Science program at IPB University.
During his time as an undergraduate, he actively pursued personal development, both academically and through organizational involvement. His organizational experience includes serving as a staff member of the Internal Affairs Bureau of the PKU Student Executive Board, an HRD staff member at Pionir Muda, and being entrusted with the roles of Director of the Data Analytics Department at Gamma Sigma Beta and Chair of the Statistics and Data Science ’59 Student Council. In addition, he also gained experience as a teaching assistant and intern at the Bank Indonesia Representative Office for the DKI Jakarta Province, and even won several Statistics Olympiads.
His academic journey was not without challenges. The most memorable experience for him was having to balance an internship, competitions, freelance projects, and completing his thesis all at the same time.
However, with good time management, he managed to get through it with flying colors. Bintang even became the first student in his program to receive a certificate of completion (SKL) after successfully defending his thesis just three days after the results seminar.
Now, Bintang is ready to begin a new chapter in his career through the Management Development Program (MDP) – Location at PT Indomarco Prismatama. This opportunity marks the first step in his development as a future leader, as he takes on the role of static and instrument analyst. (IAAS/EPK)
