Being a professional athlete does not necessarily mean leaving education behind. This message was one of UniPin’s focuses in supporting the initiative of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) through the talk show “Mimpi Besar, Sekolah Kelar: No Drop Out, Just Level Up” at SMAN 1 Jakarta on Friday (25/9).

At the event, Senior VP Community and Media Networks UniPin Global Debora Imanuella attended as moderator while also bringing an esports industry perspective on the importance of developing young talent that relies not only on competitive ability, but also on education and skills.

According to Debora, the journey to becoming an athlete requires discipline, time management, communication, ethics, and a willingness to keep learning.

“Becoming an athlete and pursuing achievements does not mean having to leave education behind. On the contrary, education can be an important part of preparing young talent to face the various stages of their journey,” said Debora.

This message was also shared by Shogun Dylont “Shogun” Ananda Setya Hurahira, an esports athlete for Bigetron by Vitality who is currently pursuing his education at UPN Veteran Jakarta. During the talk show, Shogun shared his experience of dividing his time between university, training, competitions, and activities as a professional athlete.

He said that education continues to play an important role for esports athletes, including in developing communication skills and ethics. Shogun also encouraged students to dare to pursue their passions, try new things, and give their best efforts in their chosen fields.

The Principal of SMAN 1 Jakarta, Dra. Fauro Sartana, added that schools need to support students’ development in both academic and non-academic fields. The two were considered capable of progressing in balance and complementing each other.

In addition to UniPin and the school, the event also featured Defrizal Siregar, Deputy II General Chair of KONI Province DKI Jakarta, and Lindsey Afsari Puteri, Principal Expert at the Office of the Presidential Staff. They highlighted the importance of an ecosystem that supports young athletes, starting with schools, sports organizations, the government, and industry.

Through this cross-sector collaboration, UniPin supports efforts to create an environment that enables young people to pursue achievements while completing their education as preparation for their future journey. (Risma)