PIChE Leadership Award

I have always love to serve people in ways I know I can and getting recognition is the least of my worries but this time, I think I deserve to be recognize because it's time I truly recognize myself as one.

This is my submitted essay.

WHY I DESERVE THE PIChE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Shared mission. Shared vision. Shared values. Anyone can be a leader but true leadership is never about one person. It is about inspiring others in order to make a difference without asking for anything in return.

This Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers Leadership Award will be the cherry on top of my leadership PIE —Passion, Initiative, Effectivity.

Passion. The passion to serve has always been imbibed in me and the mottos “Be the change you want to see in the world” by Gandhi and “MAGIS” which means “Do more” by the Jesuits have always been my guiding rules. Every term break and in times of calamity, I make it a point to volunteer and encourage people to do the same. A major event that defined me as a leader was last April 2015. I was juggling the responsibilities of being president of our community youth club, while being on our Cebu plant tour and trying to make thirty flower crowns for a family event. Not only that, upon arriving from plant tour, long exams and laboratory reports were awaiting. Given the time constraint, I could have weighed the opportunity cost but as an engineer, I optimized all areas by trusting and delegating tasks to my members or as I call them “co-leaders.” Leadership is not only about serving other but allowing them to feel important by showcasing their skills.

 Initiative. Throughout college, I learned that character plays a major role on how you handle situations. I am never the type to just comment on things without taking action. I have spearheaded together with events both inside and outside the university with the collaboration of other people. My Bookmarks for Bohol was a project made by my sisters and I for the benefit of earthquake victims last November 2015, the revival of the NHA Youth Club, we organize projects such as the annual Easter egg hunt, and the Fun Days for elementary kids where we reward them with school supplies. The NowPH campaign where together with some college friends, we helped raised one million signatures against climate change, and the most memorable was my collaboration with my batchmates for a curriculum revision. We saw the need to include internship in the curriculum and our faculty was more than willing to help.  Because of that we were able to organize a curriculum consultation. The revision is still ongoing but it is so rewarding to know that we will not just leave the university, but we will leave the university with a mark. As Wong Fu production says, “Do not just make a living. Make a life worth-living.”

Effectivity. Aside from the success of events, the true essence of being a leader is knowing that you have inspired others to become life-changers themselves. As I finish my term, I will leave the university and other affiliations, with confidence that they are under the hands of my co-leaders. By igniting the fire in others, you can achieve more and nothing can outperform that.