The Selection of Outstanding Students (Pilmapres) is a routine competition held by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. It aims to identify and appreciate top students who excel academically, contribute positively to society, and demonstrate integrity and leadership. In 2025, I, along with Eka Stephani Sinambela, had the privilege of mentoring students from the Institut Teknologi Del for the Regional Pilmapres in LLDikti Region I.

The Importance of Mentoring

Intensive and targeted mentoring is crucial for preparing students to showcase their best potential. Mentoring goes beyond technical preparation; it involves physical presence and moral support during the competition days, which took place from July 9-10, 2025, at STIKes Mitra Husada Medan. Our goal was to ensure students felt supported, reduce their stress levels, and facilitate logistical needs so they could focus entirely on the competition.

Event Highlights and Evaluations

The event featured parallel assessments covering Outstanding Achievements (CU), Creative Ideas (GK), Innovative Products, and English proficiency. Following the sessions, our discussions with the students highlighted several key evaluation points:

• Tanisha’s Success: All Outstanding Achievements (CU) submitted by Tanisha, such as receiving a scholarship, Matriculation committee awards, and Del Debate Championship 2024 participation, were successfully accepted by the judges. Her participation in the Huawei ICT Competition 2024 was also recognized.
• English Presentation Adaptability: Tanisha’s English presentation went smoothly. She was slightly overwhelmed because the presentation duration was cut to 5 minutes, despite preparing for 10 minutes based on the invitation. Nevertheless, she answered all questions well, including complex topics about Indonesia’s poverty structure.
• Maxwell’s Upload Hurdles: Only one of Maxwell’s six Outstanding Achievement proofs was accepted by the judges. This was strongly suspected to be a mistake in the upload process by the Student Affairs department, forcing Maxwell to present hardcopies during the assessment.
• Rubric Discrepancies: Maxwell’s best achievement in “Computational Thinking” was not recognized by the judges due to a difference in understanding the assessment rubric. The judges believed there were no points for empowerment activities at the village level, expecting international targets to involve participants from various countries.

Recommendations for Future Success

Reflecting on the 2025 Pilmapres, we recommend the following for the 2026 implementation:

• Strengthen Synergy: There needs to be closer and integrated coordination between the Student Affairs department and the Faculty/Study Programs to guide student potential early on.
• Start Mentoring Early: Mentoring should begin at the start of the academic year, giving students ample time to develop creative ideas, collect artifacts, and hone their presentation skills without rushing.
• Focus on Rubric-Based Artifacts: Students must be specifically directed to prepare relevant, high-value artifacts based on the scoring rubrics in the Pilmapres guidelines to maximize their scores.

By implementing these insights, we hope to optimize our institutional support and ensure even greater success for our students in the future!