Another proud achievement has been secured by a student from the Department of Mathematics, FMIPA UGM. Mahardi Nalendra Syafa, a 2022 Statistics student, has been named the 2025 Most Outstanding Student (Mapres) of FMIPA UGM. This prestigious title is part of the university-level selection organized by the Sub-directorate of Student Creativity under the Directorate of Student Affairs at UGM. The selection process began online on March 1 and culminated in an offline final round held on March 22, 2025. Since the beginning of his college journey, Mahardi had set his sights on becoming a Mapres as a form of gratitude and commitment to his education at UGM.
For the competition, Mahardi proposed a creative idea titled “Early Detection of Depression Symptoms Through Text Modeling Based on Natural Language Processing (NLP).” This idea stemmed from his concern over the rising cases of depression among youth and the limitations of conventional screening methods. As an alternative, Mahardi introduced a technology-based approach by integrating IndoBERT and BERTopic to analyze social media data in real time—offering a faster, more accurate, and less stigmatizing method of early detection.
Mahardi underwent the entire selection process while completing a full-time internship in Jakarta. With extremely limited time, he had only two days to compile his portfolio and finalize his proposal, and just one day to prepare for the final presentation. Despite initial doubts in selecting a topic, he ultimately focused on a field he excels in—Natural Language Processing—and linked it to a social issue close to student life: mental health. During the preparation process, Mahardi requested a letter of recommendation from the Head of the Mathematics Department, Dr. Nanang Susyanto, S.Si., M.Sc., M.Act.Sc., and actively engaged in discussions with his academic advisor, Ivonne Martin, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D., both of whom provided valuable support and input to help refine the idea he proposed.
Throughout his academic journey, Mahardi has achieved numerous accomplishments. He won 2nd place in the Statistics Infographic Competition at SATRIA DATA, 2nd place in the International Data Analysis Competition held by ITS, and 1st place along with the Best Code Quality award in Python-Based Data Analysis at Eternal 7.0 ULM. Additionally, he secured 1st place in the Smart Statistics Olympiad organized by UNJ. Beyond competitions, Mahardi is actively involved in student organizations, frequently speaks at educational events, and is a member of the 2024 PPK Ormawa team, which successfully secured national funding from the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology.
For Mahardi, being named Most Outstanding Student is not just a prestigious accolade, but also a responsibility—to keep giving back and to serve as an inspiration to others. He hopes this achievement will motivate fellow students to confidently explore their potential and contribute meaningfully in their respective fields. “Discover what you’re truly good at, commit to it wholeheartedly, and showcase your strengths in the best way possible,” he concluded enthusiastically.
Keywords: Outstanding Student, Proud Mathematics, Mahardi Nalendra Syafa
Author: Iin Nauli Rahmawati
Photographer: Mahardi Nalendra Syafa