Profile of Agnes Isna Kuswondo, Most Outstanding Student BINUS 2020

Agnes is the 2020 Binus Most Outstanding Student with the majority of her achievements coming from competitive debating. But this write up is not about her achievements per se, rather it’s the untold journey that brought her here.

She graduated from a classical music high school and entered IR studies that she was completely blinded about, and that was also the time she joined varsity competitive debating. Behind the splendid achievements, she had to watch World War videos before going to an-everyday-debate-training, re-write her speeches between classes, read journals after 3 rounds of debate in a day, and mostly Agnes had to skip classes and exams to be where she is today.

When asked about her outstanding achievement, she replies, “achievement is the fruit of hard work, perseverance, and the will to bear trade-offs. And beyond that, it is also the continuous support she received from her friends, community, lecturer, and campus.”

“People mostly recognize me as 2020 Binus Most Outstanding Student with the majority of my achievements coming from competitive debating. But given the chance to write a bit about myself, this write up is not about the achievements per se, rather it’s the untold journey that brought me here.

Regarding her unique background, she adds, “I graduated from a classical music high school and entered IR studies that I was completely blinded about, and that was also the time I joined varsity competitive debating. Behind the splendid achievements, I had to watch World War videos before going to an-everyday-debate-training (it’s 7-11pm!), re-write speeches between classes, read journals after 3 rounds of debate in a day, and mostly I had to skip classes and exams to join competitions to be where she is today.”

Closing her statements, she emphasizes that, “today, I see achievement as the fruit of hard work, perseverance, and the will to bear trade-offs. And beyond that, it is also the continuous support she received from my friends, community, lecturer, and campus.