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Friday, March 29, 2024

Youth rises in crisis

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Contrary to what the older generations say about them, today’s young folks are not lazy, Internet fiends who only think about “likes” and “shares” and social media. 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has given birth to young leaders and movers. Students who volunteer their time and available resources to assist in however they can. 

Student leader

Mariz Domingo, a student at the Far Eastern University Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, had a pretty normal life before the pandemic. 

Youth rises in crisis
Student leader Mariz Domingo quickly mobilized her team to help students at Far Eastern University cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My student-leader life before was confined to the classroom or to where our student council office is located,” she begins. 

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“Weeks before the quarantine took place, we were planning the ITHM Week—an annual celebration of ITHM. Once it was announced that classes would be canceled, everything became a blur.”

Because of the sudden change, their marketing and creative teams mobilized their social media presence to come up with ideas on how to cope and communicate with students online, especially with those who weren’t able to go home or were struggling to finance their needs. 

“I think constant communication is one of the best things one can do to help a friend cope with these kinds of problems. Whether it be your family, your friends, your loved ones—I am sure that even a simple ‘kumusta’ would mean a lot,” she says.

Mariz adds, “The ITHM Student Council initiated the ITHM SHOPPE. This project is meant to help promote and advertise our co-students’ and the faculty members’ online shops. We wanted them to earn extra income to fund their daily needs.”

Her commitment to helping others extended to her hometown. “I also started a donation drive when I got back to my home province in Ilocos Norte.”

“My goal was to help people from my city, especially the indigent families, and later the frontliners. I saw how wide my connections were and I used them so that I could get more donations and help more people. FEU and the Student Development team helped promote my cause,” she relates. 

Much like many who have had to grapple with the current situation, Mariz also had to adjust to the “new normal.”

“The biggest challenge I had to face this quarantine was to find something productive to do. Before this pandemic started, I always had full schedules on weekdays and even during weekends.”

She continues, “I realized that the real challenge these days is not just finding a way to be productive but finding value in what you do.”

To past time productively, she honed her cooking skills and learned how to take care of herself—phyically and mentally. And as prepares for the shift to online classes, she hopes every FEU student has the equipment they need to continue their education. 

Exchange student-turned-volunteer

Mexican exchange student Miguel Alejandro Giron Aguirre had an opportunity to go back home in the early days of the pandemic, but he decided to stay and volunteered in relief operations throughout the metro. 

As La Salle University Chihuahua exchange program student, Alej (to his Filipino friends) looked forward to going to his classes at the School of Management and Information Technology of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, befriending fellow students, and immersing in all things Filipino. 

“From where I grew up, the Philippines seemed like the other side of the world and I really wanted to come,” he shares.

He even planned to visit the top tourist destinations in the country. But when he arrived in January, the Taal Volcano erupted. Come March, Luzon was placed on community quarantine. Despite all this, the 22-year-old Marketing Management student chose to stay and volunteer. 

“I wasn’t really planning to leave because of the virus,” he admits. “To be honest, I didn’t think that this pandemic will go this far. But staying in the Philippines was the best decision ever.”

With the interruption of school, he participated in Kada Uno, an initiative that unifies the efforts of various Lasallian institutions, groups, and partner organizations in support of the affected vulnerable and minority sectors. 

Alej was assigned to the Marketing and Communications Office, in charge of photos, videos, and documentation. He worked alongside Lasallian East Asia District Brother Visitor Br. Armin Luistro FSC and the rest of the volunteers. They distributed relief packs to families in need, and provided temporary refuge to the medical frontliners and homeless in Manila. 

This allowed him to experience the relentless warmth and kindness of the Lasallians and Filipinos in general. 

“I have been seeing how in the difficult times, Filipinos always look for ways to help, and it’s something to admire,” he enthuses. 

The international student is no stranger to Lasallian missions. He has actively participated in the programs in Mexico where they spread messages of faith to the community. However, it is the first time that he worked hands-on in such a huge initiative that aimed to address beyond the Lasallian family. 

He likewise created digital content for La Salle Green Hills’ Flexible Lasallian Education through Technology and Collaboration at Home (FLETCH) and International Council of Young Lasallians’ Indivisa Manent, a virtual meeting which tackled topics such as racism.

Now that classes have resumed, he is currently enrolled under the Benilde Online Learning Term (BOLT), the college’s full online learning program, and is taking up Corporate Communications, Quality and Business Process Improvements, and Film Theory and Global Cinematic Movements courses.

As soon as BOLT is over, he flies back to Chihuahua, Mexico.

Youth rises in crisis
Mexican exchange student Miguel Alejandro Giron Aguirre chose to stay in the Philippines to help in relief operations throughout the metro.

“My trip ended up totally different. But to be honest, I couldn’t think of any better way to spend my exchange program. I met so many amazing persons and I also learned a lot of things,” he exclaims. “Uncertainty is one aspect that we are going to experience and this helped me learn how to work in real life.”

When asked if he would come back to the Philippines, the young volunteer wished to finally explore the famous beautiful beaches of Palawan, Cebu, and Negros in his next visit. 

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