This achievement is undoubtedly due to his struggles and hard work. Raja shares that during the initial common preparation phase (TPB), he could not yet envision how his studies would unfold or what he should do while at ITB.

“At first, when I entered ITB, I was actually confused. What am I supposed to do at ITB? Because I didn't know what ITB had to offer,” he said on Thursday (11/4/2024).

After exploring further, it turned out that there were numerous activities at ITB. Not just academic activities but also club, and organization activities, and others.

Raja then decided to try participating in committee and organization activities. At that time, however, he participated mainly because he was afraid of missing out compared to his friends.

“When I had finished or was participating in those activities, why did I feel empty? Why did I feel hollow? Why did it seem like what I was doing had no meaning for me? It was over and that was it, but I felt somewhat unhappy after completing those things," he said.

After two semesters of study and reflecting on what he had been doing, he finally began to determine his future orientation at ITB. He concluded that he should focus on his field of study, particularly in the energy sector.

“What do I need at ITB? What are my future goals? How can this knowledge have a broad impact on society in the future, specifically in the fields of energy or mining, and particularly in sustainability and new renewable energy,” he said.

Raja then solidified his choice to major in Mining Engineering. According to him, this was a major leap for him to explore and improve himself further.

He then joined the Mining Student Association (HMT-ITB) and began actively learning about research, writing news in the field of mining, and understanding the development of mining, especially renewable energy in Indonesia.

Not only that, Raja also co-wrote one of the books that will be published by the ITB library.
Not only through writing, but he also wanted to make a positive impact on those around him by becoming the ITB Campus Sustainability Ambassador 2022. “I see this as one of my goals to be a good role model at ITB in general and specifically in the energy sector at ITB,” he stated.

Amidst his busy schedule with various activities, he still strives to manage his time to balance academic and non-academic life. “The main thing is just time management and how we set priorities,” he said.

Raja is also active in the committee of the Ditmawa Ambassador Team (TDD). Through this committee, he was chosen as the Head of the Material and Methods Division for the Character Development Training (CDT) ITB 2023. “There, I and the team prepare materials and methods to be given to all new students at ITB, numbering about 5,000 people. I am grateful to be part of shaping the characters that ITB wants to instill,” he said.

Additionally, he actively participates in various competitions, from business cases, papers, and posters, to hackathons. Although many competitions did not meet his expectations. Despite gaining a lot of experience, Raja still strives to further develop his skills by seeking mentors and references from previous works or competitions until he finally succeeds in winning several competitions. “Recently, I participated in 10 categories at the International Sriwijaya Mining Games, held in 2023. I also won the Poster Competition and lastly, I won the 14th Hackathon ISMC,” Raja revealed.

Raja is also involved in several other organizational activities including ITB Dormitory Tutor and the Christian Student Fellowship Open House (PMK OH / PERKANTAS). He was also selected as the National Campus SDGs Ambassador for the socialization category in 2023/2024. Through this title, he is often invited to speak on SDGs topics at events such as AISEC UNS, ALSA UNPAD, to UGM.

During the 2023 Mapres selection, the time given was quite short, only 3 days to submit CV files and create a short video containing creative ideas or papers. Similarly, with his notable achievements. Although he felt tired during the preparation process, his strong internal motivation to grow enabled him to complete his files well. “It was all thanks to God and the people around me too,” Raja concluded.

Raja advises other students to continue developing themselves and to seek God's help in every step they take. “Ask God to help friends find themselves and the talents God has entrusted to you. Do not forget, always be grounded in God because everything Raja has received now is a trust from God Almighty,” he concluded.

Reporter: Satria Octavianus Nababan (Informatics Engineering, 2021)
Translator: Anggi Nurdiani (Management, 2024)
Editor: Firza