Angelica Louise Mercado | News Writer | September 28, 2018
The Ateneo De Manila University representatives flew all the way from the Philippines to Qatar and held a career talk for the Grade 12 students last September 19, 2018 at the NKP Playroom. The purpose of this talk was to disseminate further information regarding ADMU and its college application process as the students prepare for the next chapter of their life.
The program officially began as Ms Sarah Joy S. Tomias, a Senior High School facilitator and Master of Ceremony for the event, gave a brief introduction of the topic to be discussed. She stated:
“Career was traditionally associated with big employment and it referred to a single occupation; but in today’s world, the term ‘career’ is seen as a continuing process of learning and development. Nowadays, we don’t have a career for life but a life for career.”
An opening prayer immediately followed, which was led by Ms Myedelle S. Seacor of Grade 12 – STEM C. Then, Mr Jason A. Iyas, the school principal, gave his opening remarks, starting it off with “choosing a college course/school for the next chapter of your educational life would be very stressful...”
He reminisced certain memories from his youth; how indecisive people were in choosing their college courses and schools. He also stated that it was uncommon for career talks to be held back then to help them realize what they really want to take up, whereas today’s generation is quite privileged to have these opportunities. 21st century technology has also proven to be quite a big help in the students’ decision making.
After the principal’s opening remarks, Ms Tomias introduced the guest speakers of the event, Ms Julia Cristina A. Morata and Ms Camille S. Cabanan, the representatives from Ateneo De Manila University.
The speakers were warmly received by the students, and Ms Cabanan gave a small introduction of Ateneo De Manila University and its history. She further explained what life is like for Ateneans, from the school’s facilities to the living accommodations the school provides. Shortly afterwards, an open forum was held. Before the program ended, Mr Jojo L. Calague, the Senior High School Level Head, gave the closing remarks. After the program, Ms Cabanan was interviewed. She was asked about her thoughts on the school, as well as the students.
“Well, my short stay here has allowed me to see that it is a very nice school. You have a lot of students – vibrant and dynamic students – and I think you have a lot of potential. In terms of your school administrators, they are very nice and kind because it’s not easy to cut off classes just to accommodate schools such as us from the Philippines,” Ms Cabanan said, “so they are giving you such a wide array of opportunities for their students so that you also know and guide you as to where you want to go in the future. In terms of the students, in the short stay that I’ve been here, the Grade 12 students are very interactive and they are interested and they are cooperative so I would like to thank everyone for listening this afternoon.”
Ms Cabanan also gave some advice for the aspiring Ateneans of Academic Year 2019 – 2020. “Don’t settle for less. Always keep your feet on the ground, but always keep your horizon open. You have to use your potential wisely, and every day is a discovery. You discover yourself; you discover something new every day about yourself. So you keep on doing that, you continue to dream because dreaming is for free. It’s for everyone, it doesn’t cost anything. Continue dreaming, continue to be successful. Money is not the key to success in the same way as money is not the determinant of success. It’s really your internal happiness and that you’re doing what you want to do, and that you’re serving the people that you want to serve.”
Before leaving, Ms Cabanan sent the Senior High School students her best regards. “Good luck for your applications. Good luck with your Senior High school. I hope that everyone graduates. I hope everyone has a happy life after college.”
A month later, on October 10, 2018, University of Asia and the Pacific, otherwise known as UA&P, visited PISQ for a career talk with the Grade 12 Students at the NKP Playroom to disseminate further information regarding it campus and its admissions process as the students prepare for college life.
To start things off, Ms Aikko Pelayo gave a brief introduction of the program. This was followed by a prayer, which was led by Rhayne Anne Layson from Grade 12 – HUMSS A. Mr Jaspher D. Tapiz, the Master of Ceremony, introduced the guest speaker for the event: Ms Elle Carreon, a student member of the JMC of UA&P. Her and Ms Beng Calma had come all the way from the Philippines to promote the university and encourage prospective students to apply there.
The Grade 12 Students received Ms Carreon warmly as she presented a PowerPoint on the history of the university. She then proceeded to talk about the university’s course offerings. She then talked about student life at UA&P and what it is like to be a Trailblazer, as well as the opportunities one can come across upon graduating at the university. Before the end of the talk, Ms Carreon pulled out her and took a video with the students. The room was filled with sheer hype as the 12th graders shouted “We love UA&P!”
Overall, the experience of having representatives from a few of the motherland’s renowned universities has been quite a memorable one to these students who find themselves thousands of miles away from home. This is just a few of the activities in store for the students as they prepare themselves for the next big step in their lives.
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