Myriad Achievements of Muhammad Ihsan ‘Binjai’

The profile of outstanding Fikom students this time presents students of the Communication Management Study Program of Fikom Unpad class of 2016, who have a myriad of achievements. He is Muhammad Ihsan or familiarly called ‘Binjai’. Why Binjai? Ihsan deliberately pinned the name on his social media accounts and even his email address as personal branding while promoting his hometown of Binjai, North Sumatra.

Ihsan ‘Binjai’ is one of the nine candidates for Fikom Unpad’s Outstanding Student 2019. This is thanks to his achievement in becoming a finalist and champion at the National Student Science Week for three consecutive years.

At PIMNAS 2019 in the non-PKM category, Ihsan and his team won first place in the Videography Category through the video “Kampung Naga Pereum Obor” and third runner-up in the Perfect Deodorizer (PEDE) innovation product competition. In 2018 at the same event, Ihsan and his team became the favorite winner in the PKM-Entrepreneurship category. Previously in 2017, Ihsan and his team also succeeded in the PKM-M and PKM-GT events, through the Knowlej.id project which managed to steal the attention and get development funds for the project from Kemenristekdikti.

The finalist of Jaka Dara Binjai 2017 admitted that since the beginning of college, she has targeted not to waste her opportunities as a student. Apart from academics, this student, who entered Fikom Unpad through the Bidikmisi route, is also active in various organizations on campus such as being the head of the entrepreneurship department in the Student Executive Board (BEM) and the head of the prosperity department of the Fikom BKI Mosque, which is a Student Activity Unit. This 2019 Fikom Unpad Outstanding Student Candidate is listed as a scholarship recipient from Dompet Dhuafa’s Etos Study 2016-2020. Furthermore, from 2018 to 2020 Ihsan received an international scholarship from the Singapore Scholarship Program, and finally in 2019 Ihsan also received an international scholarship from the NUS Enterprise Summer Program Singapore.

When asked about the innovative product he presented at PIMNAS 2019 at Udayana University in Bali, Ihsan shared the origin of the PEDE product. The name PEDE is short for Perfect Deodorizer, which is a foot deodorizing stick-on fragrance product. How to use this product is inserted into the shoe like an in-shole which will eliminate odors that are often present in shoes. To obtain the raw material for Perfect Deodorizer products, namely lemongrass oil, the Kaki PEDE team works closely with local West Java farmers. This product is a collaboration between FIKOM, FMIPA, and FISIP students. This innovative product with local wisdom then attracted the attention of the jury in the 2019 PIMNAS event.

In the midst of his busy schedule as a student, student activist, CEO of Knowlej.id, Dauky World Class volunteer and speaker at various student activities, it is certainly not an easy thing to divide his time. However, Ihsan himself is determined to maximize all his activities.

The Binjai Tourism Ambassador also shared that in order to achieve what she has today, she had to give up her time with friends. He spends more time in discussion, focused on pursuing his vision. In addition to having the willpower within ourselves, the social environment is also very influential in shaping our personality. Dividing our time and knowing where to spend our time is important for students. Ihsan advised his fellow students to participate in various positive activities that support their interests and passions. “Never be afraid of failure, many victories are followed by many failures in the past. If you fail and lose, don’t stop, but evaluate. While you are a student, especially a freshman, there are so many opportunities in the field of competition, organization and volunteering, so follow everything that can sharpen yourself. Finally, don’t forget to mingle with anyone to add good relationships,” said Ihsan. (HY)