Surabaya, 17 May 2025 – Compete, and you will feel the positive challenge from those around you.
It is this fighting spirit that was held by the debaters of Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Universitas Jenderal Soedirman (FIB Unsoed) as they once again participated in a debate championship organised by Universitas Hang Tuah (UHT) Surabaya. The competition, titled “The Voice of Young Minds: UHT Regional Debate Competition”, was held offline on 17 May 2025 at the Postgraduate Building of Universitas Hang Tuah Surabaya. The competition was attended by approximately ten other universities competing together for the Indonesian and English debate championship trophies in an atmosphere of fierce yet sportsmanlike competition.
Happy and Proud: FIB debaters Nanda Putri Mulyaningrum and Hayu Havilah Subekti after competing and winning 3rd place (photo: Sasing Unsoed)
On this occasion, FIB fielded two delegations. The Indonesian-language debate delegation was represented by Nanda Putri Mulyaningrum (Pendidikan Bahasa Indonesia/J1D023079) and Hayu Havilah Subekti (Sastra Inggris/J1A023016), while the English-language debate delegation was represented by Desya Elma Nizami (Sastra Inggris/J1A024042) and Eleonora Adinda Wulan Hapsari (Sastra Inggris/J1A024026). From the preliminary rounds, both pairs of debaters performed with confidence, showing their best performance along with argumentation based on valid data. As a result, the English team advanced to the semifinals, while the Indonesian team reached the final round and secured the title of 3rd Place, an achievement that is a great source of pride, particularly for FIB Unsoed.
This strong and consistent debate performance is inseparable from the disciplined and regular training pattern undergone by the debaters under the guidance of lecturer Ririn Kurnia Trisnawati, M.A.. In addition to regular training accompanied by a professional debate coach, the debaters also conducted sparring team practices together with other debaters both from FIB and outside FIB. “The key to success is consistency and a willingness to keep learning,” said Ririn regarding the students’ victory.
As Supervisor, Ririn expressed her sincere thanks and appreciation, particularly to the leadership of FIB Unsoed, who fully supported the departure of the debate delegation team to Surabaya. She hopes that in the future, FIB debaters under the auspices of UKM HUDEC will continue to develop and produce outstanding debaters ready to compete in upcoming competitions. Ririn considers this achievement to be concrete proof of the competence of FIB students in competing at the national level.
With solid collaboration between students, supervising lecturers, and institutional leadership, this achievement is expected to serve as a stepping stone toward even more brilliant results in other competitions, both at the national and international levels.