Manado Independent School (MIS) is a leading institution in terms of developing excellent and outstanding students not only in academic, but also in non-academic fields. MIS students have been garnering numerous awards such as gold, silver, and bronze medals, hence, ranked first, second, and third at the district, provincial, national, and even in an international level.
Recently, several MIS student-athletes have proven their prowess in tennis, basketball, and volleyball competitions. Two MIS Middle School students won third place in the Hasjrat Cup Competition 2022, namely Eunike Politon in the 14-year-old female singles category and Florensia Kong in the 16-year-old female singles category. Furthermore, at the recent Pra Popnas event held in Palu on November 6-15, 2022, eight MIS high school students were selected to represent North Sulawesi in basketball and volleyball competitions. These are Kenneth Tan, Benedictus Kondoj, and Junior Mangerongkonda for basketball boys, and Ichlesya Panambunan and Lovely Lengkong for basketball girls; while Millitia Pangemanan, Jenifer Kalengkongan, and Aurel Manoppo for volleyball girls. By God’s amazing grace, the basketball boys and volleyball girls teams won the gold medal, while the girls basketball team won the silver medal.
Consequently, Ichlesya, one of the basketball players representing North Sulawesi, is happy to have the opportunity to participate in Pra Popnas 2022. She said, “I am very grateful for being able to play at Pra Popnas. Besides representing North Sulawesi, playing outside the region is an awesome experience that will surely help me to be a better player. Although I missed the second game due to injury, it gave me more motivation to play the next games.”
Moreover, Iva (nickname) shared how preparations and discipline (time management; hard work; maintaining physical and mental health) play a crucial role in her success. “It was quite challenging for me because the preparation was quite short due to the conflict with DBL preparations. However, with perseverance and hardwork from coaches and players, I praise God we made it,” she said.
When Iva was asked what sustains and motivates her as an athlete, she said, “I gain motivation from my parents who supported my passion; from the scholarship I receive from MIS; and the goodness of God that provided me with everything I need.” Therefore, Iva gives a piece of advice to her co-athletes: “Keep doing your best; don’t waste opportunity; accept corrections and advice; learn from failures; and pray always.”Successes do not happen overnight. You have to work hard for it. Michael Jordan once said, “If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.” Hence, MIS continues to support and encourage students to work hard, be disciplined, and achieve their dreams in whatever passion they have and surely success will follow with the help of our Almighty God.
