Hello! We are first-year BS Development Communication students at UP Los Baños. For Weekly Writes week 14, we were tasked to create a news package about a current event in the University.
We are first-year BS Development Communication students at UP Los Baños. We were tasked to create a news package regarding an event in the university for Weekly Writes – week 14: Working on the News Package.
Week 16: The Semester in Review – In their Week 03 entry, our media writers did a self-assessment on the qualities and skills of media writers. Now that we’re at the end of the semester, our student media writers take a look back at their old ratings and share their updated self-ratings on the qualities and skills of a media writer for their Week 15 entry. Let’s see what things have changed –and what lessons they learned in their first semester as UPLB BS Development Communication students.
When I look back to the ratings that I did at the start of the semester, I realized that I have really improved along the way in being a media writer. First of all, I would say that the thing that I am very proud to say that I improved on the most is my CONFIDENCE in my own writing. I used to doubt myself every single day, and now, I just do it… less frequently at least.
As I labeled my Week 3 blog as a SWITCHBLADE, I would be labeling this as SWAN SONG. The last hurrah of my time as a student of DevCom 11 U1-1L. In line with this, I would also be showing a before and after comparison of the ratings, I gave to my qualities as a media writer.
I rated myself according to how much I think I improved from when I was going into this course, and I found that I have improved fairly well.
I think the thing that didn’t improve at all was my love for reading. Maybe it was just because I was overwhelmed with the amount of reading that I had to do overall for all of my subjects, but I found myself less and less interested in reading. It came to a point that I had to force myself to read, and it was so severe that even the fiction books that I used to love reading were affected.
However, I think that with a couple of rest, I would be back to the best state possible and relearn my love for reading. Now that we are on a break, I am sure that I would go back to reading once again. Manifesting it~
Also, I never put myself at the highest score which is 5, because I know that I can’t possibly give myself a score like that since I am always subject to improvement.
All in all, DevCom was indeed a very challenging and stressful work that I am also glad I faced because it really did improve me so much as a writer. It opened my eyes to the issues that I would’ve otherwise ignored, and it made me have this drive to use my skills into helping others.
Thank you and I hope to encounter more learnings soon. Toodles~
Week 11: DevCom Portraits showcases DevCom Alumni Profiles and their accounts on how their training at DevCom prepared them for their career track/current work. The entries are composed of the following: photograph of alumni; name, designation, and agency/place of work of alumni; and alumni accounts of how their stay at UPLB DevCom prepared them for their current work.
photo from Medium account of Bianca Caugma
Despite being a Cum Laude of BS Development Communication in 2016 at the University of the Philippines – Los Baños, Alyssa Bianca Caugma never pursued any known career along the Development Communication course. She didn’t pursue Journalism or Writing or Teaching. She was part of the first batch that had to undergo the Generalist Curriculum of Development Communication during her studies. She was more of a generalist when it comes to her career and she actually leaned into the business aspect of her career.
Ms. Caugma was a Communication Associate for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States in 2015 for a brief amount of time. Post-college, she has been in consulting. “I was lucky enough to be in a working environment where the clients I have are in the social impact space,” she said.
After graduating, she worked in Smarter Good, Inc. for three years. She worked as a research fellow, and eventually, through the years, she became an Associate Development Manager. When she worked in Smarter Good, Inc., she was, in a way, a relationship manager. She managed teams of researchers, writers, and editors.
Currently, she is working as a Data Strategist in Thinking Machines Data Science where she mostly focuses on growing the social sector industry vertical. When she shifted as a Data Strategist, her goal became to help organizations to have access to data that the AIs have in order to leverage them into making better decisions. She also became in charge of looking for partnerships for the development of the business, and also growing projects with the existing partnerships. She also became in charge of introducing and communicating what Thinking Machines are to different clients.
She managed teams a lot during her career and she also tackled writing and communication despite not pursuing a career track that most DevCom graduates would pursue.
When I asked her how being a Development Communications student, she said that it would be easier to take them both and separate them. Development and Communication.
For the Development component, she said that it helped her a lot to appreciate and understand the complexity of the social issues that her clients were dealing with. It also helped her understand the thought process behind the programs that her clients are trying to implement.
For the Communication, she said that DevCom helped her gain People Management Skill which helped her career in a way that she is able to manage teams of researchers, writers, and editors, as well as communicate with her clients. DevCom also helped her become more coordinated with her team and also develop a great teamwork attitude. Not only that, but she mentioned that Verbal Communication was one of the most important things that she learned from DevCom.
Another one is the discipline that you develop from years and years of writing in DevCom, saying that it is very transferable to other careers. She said that storytelling and the creativity and imaginative side of DevCom are very important. She said that being able to tell stories in different outputs would also be very helpful in the business track. She also emphasized that interpersonal communication is really needed when handling clients, managers, bosses, or just normal people.
Like any vintage item, may it be a wine or something else, the value and lessons that a DevCom student learns are really useful and important as time passes on. It is definitely a skill that we would be using in the future and would continue improving as the years pass by. So, don’t worry about your hesitations about going into this course thinking that the only track for you is Journalism or something. In any career path or track, you will surely take the lessons that you learn from becoming a BS Development Communication student of the University of the Philippines – Los Baños.
Week 15 (December 20-21) – Buhay Devcom Lifehack Series: The SAIS Experience – For Week 14’s entry, our student media writers develop individual web content (article, photos, videos, etc) based on their first SAIS experience.
I have spent approximately… a month waiting and praying that I would be reconsidered into the DevCom course of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and finally after a few days, I finally found out that I was accepted!
I felt excited and anxious and nervous, probably every emotion that a person could feel, all at the same time.
Then the time of accessing each of our own SAIS accounts came, and then, guess what?
And then every emotion bonded into one and became a massive ball of sadness and disappointment as I read the message that said: ERROR: Syntax Error. Please contact the System Administrator.
I have never encountered SAIS ever in my life and even heard of it rarely. I only knew about it because I had a friend that also tried to get into her SAIS; luckily for her, she could actually access it. Every day, I would try to access my SAIS account and be greeted by disappointment. I couldn’t see my schedule or my data as it was all in my SAIS account.
Classes started and I was still unable to access my account, so, imagine the panic that I was going through as I watched my batchmates form a Group Chat with the people who had the same schedule as they do, and I don’t even have my copy of the schedule.
I contacted the System Administrators again and again, and I told them my concerns. However, the system still had a couple of problems and I was one of the unlucky ones to be affected by the said issue. I had to go through, probably a week, of following the schedules that my professors had sent me through personal emails. I had to put the pieces together and make my own schedule.
A couple of days later, I finally got a reply to my email and it only sent me a screenshot of my schedule. I still wasn’t able to access my SAIS account, but at least I had my schedule and things became a lot easier for me. I was able to find friends who had the same schedule as I do, which was really great.
After daily checking whether the site was already working or not, I finally was able to breathe out and feel the relief that has been longing to wash over me. It wasn’t until a month later, more or less, that I was finally able to access my SAIS account and I was utterly lost! But there was already another problem…
I was EXTREMELY BUSY! To the point that I had no extra time to explore the site no matter how curious I am about it. When I did get my free time though, I was able to scan through the site. I gathered that it was a UP academic system that allows students from some branches of UP to track their student data, grades, schedules, and of course, courses and all that.
What terrifies me about it is the events that would take place in the next semester. I heard from my seniors that claiming courses and units were extremely difficult and it was like The Hunger Games (SAIS Edition). It would sometimes be “sold-out” as they would say it, and because of this, they would be encountering issues such as taking up the units that they failed to take for the semester.
It is intimidating and I surely still am kind of feeling lost when it comes to navigating the site. I could only hope and pray for good experiences for the next semester as I would have to claim courses. The anxiety and fear would have to go for that moment and just give it my best and hope for luck. I wish to be as early and lucky as I am during Shopee 12.12 sales.
I WANT IN and I WANT COURSES. Please… Please… Please!
It is without a doubt that the day for UPCA is the most awaited time for most students that are graduating their senior high school, if not everyone’s most awaited time. The University of the Philippines is one of the Big Four colleges in the country and the most desired university for parents and applicants alike. In order to get into a university, which is a Hunger Games type of event, you must take the UPCAT entrance exam.
However, due to the pandemic that happened, our batch wasn’t able to take the exam ourselves. Instead, we were filtered through our grades from grade 8 to 12. But, don’t fret, I may be able to impart some (very general) tips/advice for you if you were looking to take UPCAT and study at UP.
On the next page, I would be delving more about these tips/advice and what I mean by them.
I would like to emphasize, also, that it is very hard to pass the UPCAT, and if you did, congratulations, and if you didn’t, also congratulations. It is already a feat that you have taken the courage to take it and never ever think that just because you didn’t pass the UPCAT and you didn’t get into UP, you are already a failure. No, you’re not a failure. You. Are. Not. A. Failure. So, keep that chin up and continue on finding the thing and opportunity that is meant for you. Drive on, keep fighting, and don’t give up on your dreams, alright? Okay. I’ll be with you again soon! Toodles~
Stephanie came into BS Development Communication all closed off to the idea that she was only a creative writer. She was always doubting herself, but I wanted her to know that she should not think about those at all. Well, I’ll get into that a little later. To start off, here are the top five things that I would want Stephanie, past me, to know…
While well-being consists of physical health, which definitely must be taken care of, we are not going to be focusing on that. I know that you never really get sick physically, and you have to take care of yourself always, but I have to emphasize more on your mental health. I know that you are not in the best state in your mental health so I wish you would take care of yourself better. School and education are very important, of course, but don’t you think that all of that would mean nothing if you aren’t fine at all? I know that there are days that you are anxious and you are unable to function well, so you end up not meeting the deadlines, and I want you to know that it is alright. Your mental health is always going to be more important than anything else, so, stop worrying about your grades and deadlines, and rest up. When you think that you don’t have the time, make time for rest. Always remember that you are your priority and that your struggles and breakdowns and problems are valid.
This is the more academic aspect of the advice. I know that you are the type of person to wing things freely and do things spontaneously. You really aren’t the most organized person that I know, and you probably think that schedules or to-do lists aren’t that useful. Well, hate to break it to you, but you are that girl that actually uses it. You actually use organizers and to-do lists, and you actually wish right now that you would’ve used it much earlier. It makes things easier and less scattered and chaotic. I promise you that once you become organized, you wouldn’t be so stressed about tasks that you would’ve done hours before the deadline.
The message here is TO NOT PROCRASTINATE. I know that you love procrastinating and cramming your work but you shouldn’t. It makes things really harder for both of us when you do. I could not stress this enough that you actually need to be more responsible and disciplined now that you are in college. You wouldn’t be able to pass if you don’t give your best effort at all. Plan and do your requirements ahead of the deadline, become organized, and remember to fix your schedule. If you let it hang for so long, you would actually become more stressed and will be bombarded with assignments, and the next thing you know… well, you’re drowning in your loads of activities and sorrow.
While you procrastinate for two entirely different reasons: Fear of Failure or Ego, I would be emphasizing more on that ego of yours. To get it out of the way, don’t fear failing or being corrected, because it’s how you improve, and passing something is better than passing nothing at all. Alright, and onto the other reason. I know you… because I am you… and I know that there are moments when you have this confidence that you can wing everything at the last minute. Well, you know what? Your ego is swelling up again, so calm down lower it a bit. Also, revisions will always be needed so don’t feel so down about it and don’t be discouraged. Always think that you aren’t perfect and you always have a space for improvement.
Now, I talked about doing things early on so you wouldn’t be missing deadlines, but I want to make set things straight. If you have to choose between enjoying your college experience and being happy or stressing about deadlines and being miserable, choose to enjoy. You need to be mindful of deadlines and not pass assignments late, yes, but you shouldn’t be doing them at the expense of your own mental health. Our mental health is really fragile, as I have said, so you have to really take care of it. Rest easy because the professors are very lenient with deadlines and they are especially considerate in these hard times. I think that people, especially students like you, are just so serious that you forget that life is actually about enjoying and being happy, not just sitting in that chair trying to get the highest grade possible. Every once in a while, just stand up and walk out, go play with your dog, inhale that odd Sampaguita smell outside of your house, or even just read your favorite book about monsters and lovers. Make time for your hobbies and don’t limit yourself to the assignments that you need to pass. Circling back to the first tip, you need to take care of your mental health.
Anyways, that’s all that I wish that someone would’ve told me when I started to become a DevCom student of UPLB. I am proud of you Stephanie, and you should never be insecure about your skills because surprise, you’re actually doing great with your works right now. So, keep that chin lifted and smile, and have fun. You deserve it. You can do anything you want to, so, don’t worry so much, yeah? Great. Good talk. I’ll be with you again next time. Toodles~
Week 08 – 09: Buhay Devcom Lifehack Series: Five things to remember in preparing for DevCom activities/exercises.
The title might be vague and some of you might not be able to get it, but I titled this based on one of my favorite colors. How is that relevant? Well, Indigo goes just beyond being a color that most of us know and love. Indigo, as very few know, is a symbol of wisdom, devotion, and sincerity, and a lot more. And speaking about wisdom, here is the wisdom that I have gathered throughout my months of studying as a DevCom student, and I would like to share them with you.
There’s a reason why I put doing research on almost everything that you would be doing for the course, and that is because it is very important. I could not stress it enough. I was a victim of not doing my research before finding a beat to stick with so I was really set back when I found that there weren’t many people who are knowledgeable about my topic and that there weren’t many articles that are specifically about my topic, so I had to put a lot more effort than what I would’ve needed for other topics. And yes! Researching includes your interviewee and their credentials, availability, and all. This is so you wouldn’t have to go back and forth with your interview request letter because your interviewee didn’t have time for an interview or they couldn’t be contacted. I would’ve never been able to find an interviewee if not for the connections that I had. So, it is very important to research first, always be ready before committing to a task that you will be doing.
Along with doing your research, you must always be organized. We are students that are juggling tons of tasks and due to that we might become overloaded and we might just go insane without being organized. Take the time to make a to-do list and manage your schedules so that you wouldn’t be able to miss deadlines or appointments that you may need to meet. I used to never see the importance of to-do lists and schedules before becoming a DevCom student, so I never really used them, and right now, I wish I would’ve used them sooner than I had. I was able to meet a lot of deadlines on time and managed my time well enough that I didn’t need to cram for tasks. It makes us have more time in revising and rewriting our activities and proofread them all together to produce the best output we can pass.
“The greatest mistake a man can ever make is to be afraid of making one.” – Elbert Hubbard
I used to think that when I was being corrected, I was an utter failure, so oftentimes, I would give up altogether. I always thought that the manuscript that I have written is the one that I would submit and that would ultimately bring down my morale and make me doubt my skills and abilities. But one thing that I’ve learned throughout my time in DevCom is that I should always keep in mind that I should be more driven when my first draft is being rejected or needs to be revised because I made a mistake rather than feel down about it. This is one of the most important wisdom and knowledge that I think stuck to me because mistakes often are associated with negativity that brings us down, and we should rethink this and never be ashamed of making a mistake since mistakes are often the things that make us improve and become better. The first draft being rejected isn’t a bad thing, so keep your chin up, pass a paper early, and continue writing!
Time is very important when we want to produce our best output, right? We need to be able to have more time to revise and change whatever mistakes that we might make. And we wouldn’t be able to do it if we are trying to push out writings at the last minute. Cramming is never a good idea, so stop even considering it! When we are cramming, we tend to do things half-baked which ultimately doesn’t allow us to showcase our best outputs. Stop procrastinating and just go and do it rather than laying around. Doing our activities ahead of the deadline gives us more time to revise and submit a better, well-thought output than if we crammed it. Also, when we are doing activities ahead of time, we can become more relaxed and have more time for ourselves to rest and recover.
Procrastination is rooted in the fear of failure and the pressure of doing everything right, and sometimes we are stressed with things. Being burned out is a common feeling that writers get. Depression and anxiety come with stress when we are bombarded about school works. What result do these things have in common? Yes! Less productivity and less creativity when writing. This is often due to stress and pressure, so the last piece of advice that I would be giving is to take things easy and to relax when you have tasks. Don’t stress about the deadlines so much if you can’t really take the pressure that much, since the professors aren’t that strict with them. Make sure that you get a good rest and then continue working on it when you’re more refreshed, and everything would be fine. I have said this before, and I will say it again and again, we are our top priority no matter what. So, protect your physical and mental health at all times.
I think that those are the top 5 things that I think we need to remember in preparing for DevCom activities. Of course, the things to keep in mind when doing an activity aren’t limited to these five, but they are all important. Treat these five things as the ultimate wisdom that I can leave for everyone to know, as these are one of the most important things to remember, not just for this subject, but in life too. These can be applied generally in the real world, especially when you are in the communication and writing industry. Toodles~
The first day that I attended the class for DevC 11, our professor advised us to choose a beat that we would anchor our papers in for the rest of the semester. She told us that our beat must be meaningful and contemporary and would bring development for our society. We were told that we write because we want to provide information and educate people on different matters so that we would be able to guide them to make informed decisions and to help them live better lives.
Looking back to how confused I was during the first days of being a development communicator-in-training, it was surreal how clueless and lost I was. I think the Steph back then would be impressed at how much I have improved.
sixtyfifty2021 