8/18/2019 (3) Biography

1/1

Just like a normal Filipino, the main goal of going to the university is to get

an undergraduate degree, then a   master’s   degree, and finally, a great job. However, a single Facebook

pubmat and a little mistake changed everything.

Travelling has always been part of the long term plan, but raising

awareness about HIV/AIDS was never part of the plan. One post on Facebook by a friend changed

everything, though; not that I intended to go on exchange (I wanted to be a member).   It’s   crazy how fate

always gets in the way, because my friend sent me the wrong link — a link that redirected me to the exchangesign up form; funnily enough, I unintentionally signed up for it. Who would have thought that a single poster

and a little mistake could change everything for me? My experience was so impactful that I decided to finally

 join AIESEC as a member with the hopes of being able to share my experience to more people and let them

experience the “AIESEC magic” through exchange.

But it happened anyway. I officially became a member of 

 AIESEC Cebu in August, fast tracked to TL in November, and became the LCVPe for MaC in February. I

have always been up for a challenge and knowing that this will be the first time that my LC will have a MaC

VP — with little to no knowledge about MaC — I went for it, and I got it! I kind of knew what I was getting into, but

never did I expect that I would have to teach myself AIESEC branding, and Photoshop through YouTube

because I had no transitioning and members nor team leaders at all for the first 3 months of the term. I had tobuild the foundation of MaC in the LC, we had to raise awareness about AIESEC, because either people

know it as the  “elite organization” or they just don’t know it at all, we had to penetrate the market of other unis

because there just was no market big enough for OGX in my uni, and we had to teach every single member

basic marketing, branding and Photoshop. Everything went well though, because at the end of the term, we

were able to rebrand ourselves as the Leadership Organization, partner with other organizations, recruit and

retain members from other unis, have events in other unis, increase online presence, and most importantly,

create a culture that bound all the members. The “AIESEC magic”  that I wanted everyone to experience went

way past going on exchange, but also through member and leader experiences as well.

. Withdrawing my intent to run for LCP and running for LCVP TM

because of my passion for people, my LC, and   AIESEC’s  essence  was   part of the plan. Spreading more of 

the “AIESEC magic”  was   part of the plan. But life has a way of surprising you, and things  don’t always go theway you have planned. Maybe it is life’s way of telling you that that plan is not what is best for you. It took me

a while to get over a feeling that is at par with your  “one  true   love”  breaking up with you, but when you love

something, you should accept that, sometimes,  there’s  someone better for them. Sometimes, losing  doesn’t

always mean you have lost. Sometimes, it means that there is something better out there for you. And when

you’ve experienced the worst, you learn to treasure everything that happens after — even the little things.

 After the elections, I have decided to make the most of 

my AIESEC experience by doing the one thing that I have always wanted to do in AIESEC — take on TL and

OC roles. So, when re-application period came, I applied for Director for Alumni & Government Relations.

Little did I know that this position will appoint me into being the Regional Coordinator of the Youth-to-

Government Forum, having to organize and manage 6 events around the Visayas Region (all through onlinebecause you have to ride a boat or a plane to go anywhere in the Philippines) — 3 events hosted by AIESECers

and the other 3 by non-AIESECers — a larger way of spreading the   “AIESEC magic,”   I thought. It was not an

easy job — at some point I had to orient and teach non-AIESECers about AIESEC, branding, and even how to

use Google drive for trackers. Having to manage 2 events in one day for 3 consecutive weekends, and most

of them virtually, taught me a whole new meaning of perseverance, trust and empowerment. Nothing was

easy, but everything was worth it.

. After graduation, I was supposed to move to

the US and take up a   Master’s  program; but if an opportunity to pursue your passion for change shows itself 

to you, you should grab it. And when everyone around you is against  “impracticality,”  but you feel so strongly

about it, follow your heart and fight for it. If AIESEC taught me one thing, it is that plans are just words, and

they are meaningless without passion and action. It taught me that life without meaning   isn’t   living at all. Ittaught me that pursuing your passion is not always easy, but is always meaningful and rewarding.

. I was supposed to make a collage of my experiences from birth  ‘til present, not

write a long, wordy and emotional essay; but everyone has a story to tell — everyone has a different AIESEC

 journey. This is my story to tell and this is my journey. This is the “AIESEC magic” at work.