Daring to Step Out of Their Comfort Zones, Polman Negeri Babel Students Achieve Success at the UBB Language Competition 2026
Dava Aditya, a student in the Applied Bachelor’s Degree Program in Electronics Engineering at the Bangka Belitung State Manufacturing Polytechnic, secured third place in the Speech Contest category at the Language Competition 2026, hosted by the University of Bangka Belitung (UBB).
Students from the Bangka Belitung State Manufacturing Polytechnic (Politeknik Manufaktur Negeri Bangka Belitung) achieved success in the "Language Competition 2026," hosted by the University of Bangka Belitung (UBB), securing 3rd place in the Speech Contest and an honorable mention (1st runner-up for the consolation prize) in the Grammar Challenge.
The competition, which held its preliminary rounds from October 22–26 and the final round on October 27, 2026, featured participants from various higher education institutions, including the University of Bangka Belitung, ISB Atma Luhur, the University of Muhammadiyah Bangka Belitung, the University of Pertiba, the Citra Internasional Institute, and IAIN Syaikh Abdurrahman Siddik Bangka Belitung.
When interviewed on Thursday (October 29, 2026), Dava Aditya—a student in the Applied Bachelor’s Program in Electronics Engineering who won 3rd place in the Speech Contest—explained that the competition was a valuable opportunity to hone his public speaking skills while testing his courage and self-confidence. He noted that his biggest challenge was balancing academic coursework with competition preparation, yet he managed to utilize his spare time to practice, ensuring he could perform his best before the judges and fellow participants.
" At first, I felt nervous—especially seeing so many people and having to perform on stage—but once I started speaking, I was able to keep my nerves under control. I didn't expect to win 3rd place, as the other participants were very talented," he shared.
Dava added that the experience taught him an important lesson: one must have the courage to try in order to achieve success; there is no need to worry too much about the final outcome before taking the leap to compete.
To my fellow students who might be interested in joining competitions: don't be afraid to try. You’ll never know the outcome unless you put in the effort. The most important thing is to be brave and give it your absolute best," he said.
Furthermore, Polman Babel provided support throughout the preparation and execution phases of the competition—including guidance from a faculty advisor, training sessions, and transportation—ensuring that students could participate without having to cover travel expenses out of their own pockets," she acknowledged.
Meanwhile, another achievement was secured by Rizka Layla Ramadhani, a student in the Applied Bachelor’s Program in Software Engineering Technology, who earned the title of *Juara Harapan I* (First Runner-up/Honorable Mention) in the Grammar Challenge category. She described the experience as both challenging and memorable, noting that she had to compete against students from various other higher education institutions, including those with academic backgrounds in English studies.
According to Rizka, having an educational background in a technical field is no barrier to learning and mastering English grammar—an area where one can certainly excel.
" Engineering students aren't just expected to excel in coding and logic; they also need to develop global communication skills and proficiency in foreign languages. One simply shouldn't hesitate to step out of their comfort zone and try new things," she asserted.
Additionally, faculty advisor Shanty Dwi Krishnaningsih, M.Hum., expressed her gratitude to all Polman Babel students who participated in the UBB Language Competition 2026—both those who won awards and those who did not—and expressed hope that participation in similar competitions would increase in the future.
Given that Polman Babel has around 2,000 active students, only eight participated in this competition, which was organized by the UBB Language Center (UPA Bahasa UBB)," she noted.
She also encouraged all the students—winners and non-winners alike—to remain enthusiastic about participating in next year’s competition, urging them to prepare even better to achieve the best possible results.
