TIMES MALAYSIA, MALANG – Ilona Fadilah, a 20-year-old Bachelor of Accounting Study Program student at Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University Malang (UIN Malang), has shown extraordinary dedication in academic and non-academic fields.

Originally from Mojokerto, Ilonna excels in her studies and in various national and international competitions. Her experiences and achievements confirm her position as an outstanding student and a figure who can balance the academic world and active roles in organizations.

Since the beginning of college, Ilonna has recorded several significant achievements. One of her proudest academic achievements was winning third place in the international level Taxation Olympiad among PTKIN (State Islamic Religious Universities) held at IAIN Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, in 2024.

This competition tested his knowledge of taxation and became a place to measure how much he could apply the material he learned on campus.

"I got several achievements, one of which was as the third winner of the international level taxation olympiad competition at-PTKIN held at IAIN Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi in 2024," Ilonna said when recounting the experience.

However, competition is familiar to Ilonna. In addition to the Tax Olympiad, she has actively participated in various competitions relevant to her major. Among them are Business Plan and Creative Economy Digital Poster.

According to her, participating in these competitions provides many benefits, especially regarding insight exchange and self-development. She emphasized that through these competitions, she learned about academic materials and implementation in the real world.

"I got a great experience being able to exchange insights or knowledge with other participants. We can also measure our ability how far we understand the material learned on campus and what its implementation is like," Ilonna added.

In addition, she also explained that participating in these competitions has given her new insights related to public speaking and public speaking skills.

Of all the competitions she has participated in, Ilonna revealed that the most memorable was when her team won first place and best presentation at the National Business Plan held by HMPS Syariah Banking UIN Sunan Kalijaga in 2023. 

This experience was particularly memorable for him as his team needed more preparation due to the tight schedule. Even so, they could still perform well and achieve proud results.

"The most memorable thing is being the first winner and best presentation of the National Business Plan held by HMPS Banking Syariah UIN Sunan Kalijaga in 2023. It was very memorable because before advancing H-7 days before advancing, we as a team had no preparation or presentation practice because we were hectic, but we could give pretty good results," Ilonna recalled.

Ilona contributes to organizations in the academic field and to them. One of her achievements outside of academics is being an active member of the Generasi Baru Indonesia (GenBI) organization supported by a Bank Indonesia scholarship.

Ilona is actively involved in this organization and has won an award as the most active, progressive, and outstanding administrator. According to Ilonna, this non-academic achievement significantly impacted her self-development.

"In the organization, I was once the most active, most progressive, and outstanding GenBI administrator or member, so I think it was very memorable," she said.

Her non-academic achievements, especially in the organizational field, have significantly impacted the development of her soft skills, such as public speaking and personal branding.

According to Ilonna, these skills are essential for students, especially in public speaking and dealing with situations that require effective communication. This knowledge was gained through the real-life experiences she had in the organization.

"I think these non-academic achievements play a role in self-development, because I learn from organizations; usually I get the most public-speaking. So we learn that public-speaking is okay, and then we can also be brave enough to go out in public," Ilonna explained. She also emphasizes the importance of personal branding on social media, where her achievements can motivate others.

When asked who the most inspiring figure in her life journey is, Ilonna emphatically mentions her parents. Her mother and father always taught her to never give up and trust God's plan. Ilona learned from her father that nothing is impossible if you keep trying. She was also taught to let go of what is beyond her control and to accept all fate gracefully.

"Papa always taught us that nothing is impossible in this world as long as we are still trying. Even if later this effort is not in accordance with our wishes, it means that it is good destiny," she said.

As an outstanding student, Ilonna also gets support from UIN Malang, primarily through the Bank Indonesia scholarship she received in the fourth semester. This scholarship provides financial support and the opportunity to contribute to the GenBI organization. This support dramatically benefits Ilonna, especially in her academic journey at UIN Malang.

"From semester 4 to semester 7, I received the Bank Indonesia scholarship or GenBI, and I joined the organization," she said.

In managing her time between academic activities and organizational involvement, Ilonna uses the Notion application to schedule and organize her tasks. She believes good time management is the key to completing all responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed. In addition, she emphasizes the importance of putting in the work so that it does not pile up.

"I have a principle that if I delay something, it will definitely pile up. So that's managing busyness, and the one who knows ourselves best is ourselves," Ilonna said.

With intelligence, perseverance, and support from her family and surroundings, Ilonna Fadilah is a living example of how especially students of UIN Malang can succeed in academics and organizations. Her success proves that with hard work and good time management, anything can be achieved inside and outside the classroom. (*)