As the new academic year opens, leadership opportunities await the students of the Higher Education Unit (HEU) of Miriam College. Almost two years through the COVID-19 pandemic, coping up with the physical, mental, and emotional strain of distance learning never gets easy. Even so, the HEU students at Miriam College remain purpose-driven and service-oriented as the number of student leaders remains to be significantly high and hopeful towards a fruitful academic year. In collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs, the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) recently held its leadership training with 106 newly elected student leaders for the Academic Year 2021-2022 last 4th of October 2021, Monday.
The event started with an overview of gender and gender studies including its basic and most common perspectives and practices. Along the session, the youth leaders were tasked to gather as an organization via breakout rooms with questions to guide them to navigate around themselves. This was an opportunity for the youth leaders to think deeply and carefully on their decisions regarding situations where perspective, attitude, and decision-making plays important roles as these will describe the type of leadership they are bound to serve to their respective constituents.
Among the co-curricular and extra-curricular organizations present are: Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam, Second Year Council, Third Year Council, Communication Society (COMMSOC), International Studies Society (ISSOC), Inter-school Business Association (IBA), Junior Financial Executives (JFINEX), Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants (JPIA), League of Tourism Students of the Philippines (LTSP), Miriam College Junior Marketing Association (MCJMA), Miriam Environmental Planning Organization (MEPORG), The Psychology Guild (PsychGuild), Society of Junior Entrepreneurs (SJE), CEDAW Youth, Pax Christi, Talitha Cumi, Miriam College Differently-abled Students Association, Applied Arts Society (AASOC), Miriam College Educators' Circle (MCEC), AIESEC, Bulilit Storytellers, Chi Rho, and MC COMELEC. The session was facilitated by Ms. Danica C. Gonzalez, WAGI’s Young Women Leadership Program Coordinator.
WAGI’s transformative leadership training has set the tone in learning how to navigate through oneself, as a team, and as an organization. As youth leaders, and as women, the transformative leadership training highlighted the importance of gender education in relation to inclusive governance that empowers all genders, particularly the minorities. Some of the youth leaders were new and some were re-elected, the session was a great space for both backgrounds of leaders to participate, learn from themselves, and collaboratively draft out imaginative ways and approaches of service towards their constituents. Indeed, to be an effective leader, it is fundamental to look back to the past challenges to diligently continue the present governance and envision a sustainable future.
Written by: Jearmialini Czarlyn D. Rico