KNMIPA is a national science competition event for higher education in Indonesia. Divided into several fields such as Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics—which was won by Arkananta. Selection was done in stages via online. Surely Arkananta managed to get past this stage to finally win a silver medal.

Although he has repeatedly won the title, it does not mean that Arkananta has never failed in competing. It just never broke his spirit. He was so interested in physics that it inspired him to become a researcher in the field of physics. “The experience of participating in the physics olympiad made me interested in joining the ITB Physics Study Program. When I was in high school, I also had plans to become a researcher in the field of physics,” explained Arkananta.

Arkananta does not disappoint by only getting a silver medal. Instead, he felt grateful to gain the experience. “Alhamdulillah, thank you for the lecturers and mentors who never let me down, who never stated that the material was difficult, quite the opposite,” he said.

Participating in the competition was indeed Arkananta's desire because he wanted to continue his Olympic activities up to the university level. In addition, he used lessons from the Olympics as preparation material for the Physics department. The material in the Olympics itself was Physics material from the first level to the final level. Arkananta also gained knowledge from books, notes from lecturers, and from a series of coaching by ITB Physics.

Not only KNMIPA, Arkananta also tried other competitions and activities at the first level of his college term. Amazingly, he even became the Head of the Academic Division at BPA FMIPA 2020 and a Member of the Study and Research Division of Solve It ITB 2020/2021. Outside the realm of ITB, Arkananta also became a content creator for Fisika QnA and Bersains.

Even though he has many activities, he always puts college first. Nothing can replace that priority. “If there is a priority to choose from and the opponent is college, college is definitely number zero. That's my goal when I enter ITB," he explained.
Now, Arkananta dreams of a career in research and development. The future plan is to study up to doctoral level. "My target is to continue my studies in Japan," said Arkananta.

As for the closing, Arkananta advised that college should be enjoyed, especially for first-year students. According to him, there is still a lot of free time that can be filled with other activities. “TPB is a time of relaxation and fun. Take advantage of TPB's period to explore your potential," he concluded.

Reporter: Zahra Annisa Fitri (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2019)
Translator: Aghisna Syifa Rahmani (Biologi, 2020)