Revitalizing Regional Languages Leads Gastin to National Champion in ITK 2025 Essay Writing Competition
Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM) students have once again achieved outstanding achievements at the national level. Gastin Gabriel Jangkang, a student in the ULM medical profession program, won first place in the 2025 National Essay Writing Competition, held by the Kalimantan Institute of Technology (ITK) from October 6–November 15, 2025. The competition’s theme was “Embracing Global Community through Language and Technology,” emphasizing the importance of language and technology mastery for the younger generation in facing global competition.
The event, attended by nearly 200 participants from various leading universities in Indonesia, such as UGM, USU, and several other major campuses, consisted of two main stages: essay writing and a final speech.
In the essay writing stage, participants gathered online via Zoom and were given only 60 minutes to write an academic essay in English without any reference materials. Gastin wrote an essay on the topic of utilizing modern technology to revitalize endangered regional languages. Gastin’s systematic and solution-oriented writing propelled his into the top six and into the final round.
In the final round, held via Zoom, Gastin delivered a seven-minute speech summarizing the ideas in his essay. Although she entered the finals in sixth place, the round was re-evaluated based solely on his speech performance—thus opening the stage to all finalists.
With a week of intensive preparation, effective use of presentation media, and a strong grasp of the topic, Gastin successfully captured the attention of a panel of judges consisting of linguists and academics, including one judge from London, England.
As a result, Gastin was crowned first place and received a rotating trophy and further coaching as a token of appreciation.
Gastin’s essay received special praise from the panel of judges for offering concrete and adaptive solutions through three technology-based steps for revitalizing regional languages:
- Developing a digital database that records vocabulary, grammar, and cultural context.
- Utilizing immersive technology such as metaverses or interactive applications to create a fun and relevant regional language learning experience for the younger generation.
- Community involvement, including local influencers, to expand the use of regional languages ​​in everyday life and the digital space.
The judges stated that this idea has strong potential for implementation and contributes to the preservation of regional languages in the digital age.
Gastin’s achievement demonstrates that ULM students possess superior critical thinking skills, international language communication, and the use of technology for cultural and social issues. This aligns with the competition’s objectives, which are to hone students’ ability to write logical and persuasive academic essays and encourage them to explore the relationship between language and technology in facing the challenges of the global era.
ULM proudly welcomes this achievement and reaffirms its commitment to encouraging the development of students’ interests, talents, and academic and non-academic competencies. Through mentoring, improving the quality of coaching, and opening access to national and international competitions, ULM continues to provide a space for students to develop, excel, and elevate the university’s reputation to greater heights.
Gastin’s achievement is not only a source of pride for ULM but also an inspiration for all students to continue to compete, explore ideas, and make real contributions to the nation in the global era.
