HUMAS USU – Students of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) have once again achieved a remarkable accomplishment at the national level. A USU student team won First Place in the National Essay Competition organized by Avisent Indonesia, themed “Wise and Wide: Smart Innovations for Mapping Indonesia’s Welfare.” The competition attracted more than 300 participants from universities across Indonesia.

The winning team, WinUnity, consisted of five students from different study programs and academic years: Riki Candra and Widya Br. Tarigan from the Development Economics Study Program, Dhea Anggita Tarihoran from the Management Study Program, all from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), as well as Shabrina Farrah Adhisa and Chairunnisa Selviani from the Mathematics Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA).

In the competition, the team presented an innovative idea involving the development of an educational quality monitoring application ecosystem designed to support more effective and targeted monitoring and evaluation processes in schools.

Through this innovation, the team proposed a system capable of transparently mapping various educational challenges faced by different regions. The application is also designed to enable stakeholders to collaborate in developing solutions tailored to the specific needs and conditions of each school.

Riki Candra, a member of the Class of 2022, explained that the idea emerged from the team's concern about the persistent challenges facing Indonesia’s education sector, particularly in achieving equitable educational quality.

“We observed that significant disparities in educational quality still exist across various regions of Indonesia. Therefore, we sought to develop an innovation that could support monitoring, evaluation, and data-driven decision-making processes, enabling schools to receive solutions that match their specific conditions and needs,” he said.

He further noted that participating in the competition was not solely about winning an award but also about gaining knowledge, expanding networks, and channeling innovative ideas that could contribute positively to society.

“We joined this competition because we wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Indonesia’s education system. In addition, we sought valuable experience, opportunities to expand our network, and a platform to transform our ideas into meaningful contributions to education,” he explained.

Riki added that the team’s success was the result of a long and challenging preparation process. According to him, the obstacles and setbacks they encountered along the way became valuable lessons that contributed to their achievement.

“For fellow students who are still striving in competitions, never give up. The journey toward success is never easy and will always be accompanied by challenges and failures,” he added.

This achievement demonstrates that USU students are not only capable of competing at the national level but are also able to develop innovative solutions that address real societal issues. The accomplishment is expected to inspire other students to continue creating, innovating, and contributing to national development, particularly in the field of education.