10 April 2026
Nurul Juliani, S.Si
Medan, April 10, 2026 — Another proud achievement has been secured by Patrick Nicxon Hutabarat, a student in the Public Sector Accounting Study Program at the Vocational Faculty of the University of North Sumatra, who was selected as the diploma-level delegate to represent the university at the regional level of the Outstanding Student Selection (Pilmapres).
Previously, Patrick won first place in the Social Sciences and Humanities (Soshum) category during the Pilmapres selection at the Vocational Faculty level. This achievement led him to compete against representatives from the Science and Technology (Saintek) field for the single diploma delegate position that would represent the University of North Sumatra at the regional stage.
Patrick admitted that the university-level selection put more pressure on him than the previous stage. Not only was there only one representative to be chosen, but he also had to face participants with innovative ideas that he considered very well-developed and competitive.
“Absolutely true, there was more pressure. Especially since my opponent presented an extraordinary idea. However, I tried to shift my mindset that my goal wasn’t just to win, but to showcase the best version of myself that day,” Patrick explained.
Despite the competitive atmosphere, Patrick noted that the participants actually got along very well. He and the participants from the science and technology field supported and encouraged one another throughout the selection process.
“There was definitely some pressure because we were all giving it our all. But behind that competition, we actually grew closer and encouraged one another,” he added.
The university selection stage also presented its own challenges due to the extremely short preparation time. Patrick had only one day after the faculty selection to prepare everything needed for the next presentation. In that time, he had to design a poster, clarify the innovation concept, and refine his presentation skills and ability to answer questions.
Additionally, the presentation format at the university level differed from the faculty selection. While participants were previously given five minutes for the presentation and ten minutes for the Q&A session, at the university stage, the format shifted to ten minutes for the presentation and five minutes for the discussion. This change required Patrick to re-adjust his delivery method to ensure it was more effective and structured.
According to him, the university-level selection felt more nerve-wracking because the presentation was delivered in front of a smaller audience, making the atmosphere more focused and serious. Furthermore, the questions from the judging panel were considered more in-depth and challenging.
However, Patrick admitted he never imagined he would make it this far. He even felt at one point that other participants had a better chance of winning the selection.
“I went through the whole process with a ‘nothing to lose’ mindset and without any expectations of winning. I just tried to give my best throughout the process,” he said.
Throughout his journey in the Pilmapres, Patrick believes that the environment of the Public Sector Accounting Program helped shape his mindset to keep growing. In his view, SMART ASP values such as Agile and Ready served as important motivators to keep learning, adapting, and developing his potential in the face of various competitive challenges.
Patrick is scheduled to participate in the regional round of the Pilmapres competition, which will take place over three days at Universitas Prima Indonesia. The results of the competition will be announced on the final day of the event, April 30, 2026.
Through this achievement, Patrick is expected to deliver his best performance while bringing honor to the University of North Sumatra and the D4 Public Sector Accounting Program at a higher level. This achievement also serves as proof that vocational students are capable of competing through critical thinking, communication, and innovation skills relevant to community needs.
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