A proud achievement was again made by a student of the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Brawijaya (FT UB). Raka Natawijaya Raharjo, a Mechanical Engineering student, won a bronze medal in the prestigious 21st World Kempo Championship which took place in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, on April 21-27, 2025.

As part of the National Federation Kempo Indonesia (NFKI) Team, Raka brought honor to Indonesia and Universitas Brawijaya at the global level. Although he has not won gold, he is proud of his achievement which marks the beginning of a big step in his career in the world of sports.

Raka has been studying the martial art of kempo since he was in 7th grade of junior high school. However, the challenges he faced became greater when he entered college. For him, dividing his time between intensive training and lectures is one of the most challenging things in his preparation for the world championship.

This achievement is not only a personal pride for Raka, but also brings the name of his alma mater, Universitas Brawijaya and Indonesia to the international arena.

“I feel very grateful and proud to be able to bring home a medal for Indonesia, especially as a representative of UB. This is the result of long training and support from many parties,” said Raka.

This achievement did not come without struggle. Initially, Raka tried kempo just as a casual activity, but now he has made it a part of his life. He hopes that his success can inspire the younger generation to continue trying to achieve their dreams.

“Don’t be afraid to start from zero. It’s never too late. Everyone has been confused at the beginning, but what’s important is the willingness to learn and not be afraid to fail. Failure is part of the growing process. Achievement is not about who is the fastest, but who is the most consistent and does not give up,” he added.

Hopefully this achievement will be a way for Raka to achieve higher achievements in the future and is expected to motivate other students to continue to achieve, both in academic and non-academic fields. [drn]