KNMIPA has held a selection in February 2021. The competition screened participants from universities at the regional level to the national level. Azarya went through all of that as one of the ITB representatives.

Joining the competition during the TPB period, Azarya tried to understand the concept by reading the material from the textbook. He also worked on as many exercise questions as possible to test his understanding. Unfortunately, the learning process during this vacation turned out to be less effective, even making him stressed and depressed. He went back and forth to the hospital to get treatment from a psychiatrist.

His misfortune didn’t stop there. Azarya was misdiagnosed and got heavy doses of hard drugs, which left him dazed and had difficulty concentrating. Arya became pessimistic about getting a medal. He had intended to resign, but his determination to excel stopped that intention.
“In that condition, I kept praying to God, asking for a way out. Finally, I decided to keep participating in the competition, even though until one day before the competition I was still in and out of the hospital,” he said.

The side effects of drugs make Azarya not optimal in answering questions. He can only rely on his speed to do many problems in a limited time. However, he got the fortune. Despite participating in the competition in limited conditions, Azarya came out as one of the gold medal winners in the chemistry field at the KNMIPA 2021.

“God’s miracles are real. I managed to get gold, and on the same day, I was transferred to another hospital. Fortunately, my condition was not as bad as the doctor’s diagnosis at the previous hospital. The hard drugs that the previous hospital gave were stopped, and antidotes were given to side effects so that my condition could be restored,” he said.

This achievement certainly did not escape the prayers and support of Azarya's parents. Therefore, he advised to continuously inform and involve parents in everything experienced. He also believed in the power of God.

“Never give up hope in God and never doubt His power. He knows what’s best. Every event in life, whether happy or sad, there must be a lesson,” said Arya, continuing her message.

Reporter: Ristania Putri Wahyudi (Mathematics, 2019)
Translator : Billy Akbar Prabowo (Metallurgical Engineering 2020)