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Students of Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) carved another brilliant victory, this time in the field of humanities and literacies. Muhammad Ibrahim Basoeki and Achmad Mecca Cahya Sisworo won the first and second place, respectively, in the speech competition at the 2nd Rotary Youth SUPER Competition 2023, organized by the Rotary Club of Surabaya Persada on Saturday, September 28.

Taking place in Surabaya University, the event opened a junior high school level English speech competition. These two 9th grade students from Thursina IIBS competed against dozens of other participants from all over the province. They successfully advanced beyond the pre-elimination to the final round with their stellar performances. In the final round, along with eight other finalists, they were tasked with creating a working plan to implement as ambassadors of literacy.

Not wanting to waste even a single second of the allocated 30 minutes, they worked immediately, jotting down their brilliant ideas to promote literacy before eventually presenting them in front of a panel of judges. Unexpectedly, Ibrahim secured the first place while Mecca followed closely behind in second. 

“Alhamdulillah, with a very short amount of preparation time, we really weren’t expecting these wins. We’re very grateful to Ustadz Zandi and Ustaz Umar as our advisors who have coached and guided us with great patience,” admitted Baim, Ibrahim’s nickname.

In his final speech, Baim expressed his strong passion to raise awareness about literacy in the community. To implement this, Baim planned to engage directly with the community to motivate people about the importance of literacy. He also aimed to provide literacy education accessible  through digital platforms. On the other hand, Mecca believed that the best way to promote literacy was by hosting public events, building communities, and establishing public libraries.

“To be honest, we just want to continue raising awareness on public literacy, which will lead to positive outcomes in all aspects,” Mecca chimed.

To prepare for the competition, they consistently worked to deepen their understanding of the speech materials. They also diligently improved their performance through speech simulations, warming up with tongue twisters to enhance articulation, as well as practicing gestures, improvisation, speech style, and overall confidence. “The short preparation time continues to motivate us to work harder and to not waste any opportunity to measure the extent of our skills,” noted Mecca.

These victories served as a motivation for both of them to continue participating in similar events to gauge their progress and measure their skills. They believe that personal drive and consistent practice are keys to their success.

“It doesn’t matter whether we win or lose, what matters is that we have to give it our best. If we win, alhamdulillah. And if we lose, we still gain precious experience,” Mecca concluded.