The University of Baguio closed out September through its annual UBOLUNTEERS event, inviting back esteemed alumni from its different schools to inspire the next generation of leaders who will be following in their footsteps.
An activity spearheaded by the Linkages Office, UBOLUNTEERS is a way to keep the UB community close-knit and connected, providing a network of information and connections between its current students and their predecessors who have gone on to build fulfilling careers in their respective industries. It serves as a training ground for UB’s student body, priming them for the next step of their lives gathering them at the table alongside an alumni mentor and facilitating open discussions on industry, employment, and the continuous process of professional development.
This year’s lineup of speakers was filled with individuals, with the morning cluster being led by Dr. Rhodora Ngolob (UB Science High School) and HM3 John Vengado (School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Bachelor of Forensic Science, Batch 2017). After a rousing welcome from the president of the UB Alumni Foundation, Engr. Eleazer Demayo (UB Science High School, Batch 1977), the speakers took to the podium and delivered their inspirational messages to the eager participants filling the Centennial Hall.
Dr. Ngolob, the Vice President for Academic Services and Administration for the University of the Cordillera, and HM3 Vengado, an enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and a Franchise Manager, Marketing Manager, and National Board Reviewer of the Carl Balita Review Center, were united in their key message: UB primes you for your future, but it is up to you to truly rise up to your potential.
Once the students had been sufficiently energized, the morning program entered its next phase: the round table discussions with selected alumni mentors. Alumni mentors from each school all sat down with their student leaders, all eager to hear from their learned experience. Representing each school was:
- Mr. Eioul Romm Jacob – School of Nursing, Batch 2016;
- Mr. John Allen Guisdan – School of Nursing, Batch 2025;
- Dean Joshua Manalo – School of Natural Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, Batch 2026;
- Ar. John Derick Dasugo – School of Engineering and Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Batch 2014;
- Dr. Caila Jeiel Fernandez – School of Dentistry, Batch 2025; and
- PCpl. Maricel Chaluyen – School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Bachelor of Science in Criminology, 2023.
To close out UBOLUNTEERS’s morning cluster, representatives from each school were called to the podium to give their insights on their discussions, leading to a meaningful exploration of the different perspectives of leadership that the different tables had explored.
“So from our conversation earlier, we learned three things: first is, leadership is a privilege, and not (…) authority for you to power-trip.”
– Chire Pastorfide | Student Leader, School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety (SCJPS)
As UBOLUNTEERS moved into its afternoon session, the Vice President for UBAFI, Dr. Froilan Aspa, led with the welcoming remarks, settling the following batch of students in for the next leg of the program.
The afternoon’s speakers were Kagawad James Agapen Jr. (Graduate School, Master of Arts in Public Administration, Batch 2024) and Mr. Ralph Waldo Reginaldo Raposa (School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Communication 2019), both of whom delivered their inspirational messages with the same level of dignity and respect for their audience of student leaders as their morning counterparts.
Although hailing from two different paths, Kagawad Agapen and Mr. Raposa both currently serve as civil servants, which they interestingly explored in both of their addresses: UB’s education prepares you for the world, and regardless of where you land, you will be able to find your footing, so long as you are determined to stay standing, and to keep walking.
Following the keynote speakers, each table was introduced to their set of alumni mentors:
- Ms. Jean Nicole Cortes – UB High School, Batch 2012 || School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts, Bachelor Arts in Communication, Batch 2018;
- Atty. Ivory Miles Batton – School of Business Administration and Accountancy, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management, Batch 2016;
- Mr. Conrado Mapili Jr. – School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Elementary Education, Batch 2016;
- Ms. Andrea Rayne Rubillos – School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management, Batch 2019;
- Mr. Rick Jone Villanueva – School of Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Batch 2026; and
- Atty. Isagani Sotelo Liporada – School of Law, Legum Baccalaureus, Batch 2009
As with the morning session, once the roundtable discussion had ended, several students were asked to surmise their overall reflections and takeaways from their alumni mentors and peers.
“First, you have to have a concept of what leadership truly means. To be a leader, you must (…) first become a follower, and to be able to sacrifice for the people, for the cause, for what you truly believe in, is what makes you a leader.”
– Elijah Dumling | Student Leader, School of Law (SL)
UBOLUNTEERS and the importance of maintaining connections
Programs like UBOLUNTEERS are integral not just for connecting an interconnected network of alumni linkages across industries, but for fostering a culture of knowledge exchange. When alumni are able to interact with UB’s students, imparting to them the practical application of what they learned and sharing lived experiences of being a UBian in the professional world, it serves as another avenue of learning for students that goes beyond just theoretical or hands-on but pre-service experience.
This program is part of the university’s continued efforts to pursue the United Nations – Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDG), particularly Goal No. 4: Quality Education and Goal No. 17: Partnerships for the goals.
