BONTOC, Mountain Province – Three hundred thirty-nine (339) students of Saint Vincent’s High School were urged to make well-informed decisions in choosing their careers after lectures and activities related to in-depth self -assessments were given during the 6th and 7th Career Guidance Seminars conducted by the SVS alumni association held at different venues last July 21 and July 26, 2017.
Sharing his life story, Mark Preston Lopez led them thru a journey of his ups and downs, of conquering his weaknesses and of the major adjustments he has to embrace to fully discover his potentials. With interactives activities, he further underscored to the grade 11 and grade 12’s the importance of never having negative perspectives and of consistently having focus and being self-motivated. “Ifontok ak! Ikholot ak! Kayak na!” Lopez’ conviction rang through the halls of Kidlaa as he urged the students to tap into the innate fighting spirit of the tribe when they come face to face with seemingly unsurmountable challenges.
Meanwhile, Christine C. Felimon, a 2000 SVES alumna and guidance counselor of the MPSPC, met with 182 grades 9 and 10 and funneled them through a self-awareness discourse and assessment. She delivered a point by point talk of self-discovery of one’s habits, values, interests, skills, wants and needs and emphasized that the students be always aware that family, school, community and the church play a big role in their development. Felimon also talked about multiple intelligences during the second part of the session and presented a direct relationship of their discovered intelligences to the strand they can follow and then to the possible profession each can pursue. “ Khawis tay nasapa nan guidance career ay maigwa, tho’ mas khag-awis nu ninlukhi han grade 7 cha”, was Felimon’s notable comment.
The SVS Alumni Association has been an active partner of the school and has been conducting career guidance seminars since 2011 as part of its student development program but has laid low last year. It has also been instrumental in the construction of the Bishop Nel bldg. thru its og-ogfo project, has initiated improvements in the school’s TLE room, has provided materials such as computers, classroom chairs and tables and has helped establish the alumni educational media and science center in the school.
Paulino Tumapang Jr., 7 years’ president of the Saint Vincent’s Alumni Association (SVSAA) claims that the association puts value in the educational development of the students and thus has employed various strategies in making the school and students feel the support of the association. He furthers that the association needs more empowering by a proactive involvement of all SVS alumni and continues to extend the association’s gratitude for the unwavering support of certain individuals and establishments like the Samoki Valley Inn.
Reiterating the importance of alumni get-togethers, Tumapang has extended the invitation to all SVS alumni of the celebration of the Alumni Homecoming come December 27-30, 2018.
By Ching E. Kilakil
