In Their Own Words (Part 2)

What has been the most enriching experience for you at Ateneo?

Aside from attending the classes of my brilliant Psychology professors, being part of my adviser's project has been one of the most enriching parts of my PhD journey. My adviser is the Principal Investigator of Parenting for Lifelong Health Philippines (PLH Philippines). This is a consortium of universities (i.e., the Ateneo, Oxford University, University of Cape Town, and University of Bangor), UNICEF, Child Protection Network, and DSWD that aims to reduce all forms of violence against children and improve caregiver wellbeing. Being part of PLH Philippines meant learning about intervention science from my adviser and advisers' colleagues, and publishing papers with them. I also learned how to run a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an evidence-based parenting program among low-resource families. To our knowledge, it was the first RCT of a parenting program in the Philippines. 

What will you miss most about your online campus experience?

I have been working on my dissertation these past two years so my 'online campus experiences' were limited to remotely accessing Rizal Library, and online consultations with my dissertation adviser. I think I will miss both. I will miss the convenience of getting the articles that I need via my Rizal Library account. I will also miss my consultations with my adviser as those meetings were always cerebral yet warm.

What was your thesis about?

A previously published evaluation of a culturally adapted, evidence-based parenting program: the Masayang Pilipino para sa Batang Pilipino Program or MaPa, found that it significantly reduced child maltreatment and dysfunctional parenting at post-intervention relative to treatment as usual (TAU). My dissertation focused on two variables that could account for those effects: parenting self-efficacy and positive parenting. Using data from parents who are part of the Conditional Cash Transfer of the Philippine Government, I found that MaPa significantly improved both parenting self-efficacy and positive parenting by mid-intervention (or halfway into the program) compared to TAU. I also found that improvements in positive parenting led to a significant decrease in overreactive parenting, a subtype of dysfunctional parenting characterized by harshness and negative emotionality. It could be that the practice of positive parenting improved the parent-child relationship and increased child compliance and all these led to decreases in parents' overreactivity. Positive parenting could be one pathway through which we could reduce overreactive parenting especially among vulnerable families.

What's next for you?

I have gone back to teaching at the University of the Philippines Visayas in 2021 after I passed my dissertation defense. I will continue to teach and do research and do my part in ensuring a safer, violence-free world for our children. 

What has been the most enriching experience for you at Ateneo? 

The service mentality of office bearers is the most enriching experience at Ateneo. Their commitment, patience, and availability are commendable, especially to a foreigner like me.

What will you miss most about your online campus experience?

I was preparing for my dissertation proposal during the initial days of the pandemic. I really missed my golden chance to meet my mentor (Dr  Inge del Rosario) in person; that could be a more enriching experience. And I completed my dissertation writing and final defense during the pandemic period. My mentor is a charismatic lady, and often I think if I had the opportunity to meet her in person during this period, it could be a big help. Of course, I missed the chance to use the library services during my dissertation writing.

What was your thesis about?

The title of my dissertation is "WOMBCAT: A UNIQUE SPIRITUAL PREGNANCY COMPANION FOR CATHOLIC FAMILIES." It's a nine-module program to accompany young couples from the preparation days of marriage to the baptism of their child that covers preparation for marriage, day of matrimony, honeymoon days, preparation for pregnancy, trimesters of pregnancy, preparation for delivery, day of delivery, preparation for baptism and day of baptism.

What's next for you?

I am going back to India to continue my ministry. I am a TV programmer running a prime-time TV show based on marriage, family, and parenting on one of the popular channels in India- Shallom TV. I wish to serve the people, especially youth and families, with the new insights from my research.

What has been the most enriching experience for you at Ateneo? 

Graduate studies at Ateneo de Manila go beyond learning. First, it challenges you to become "magis" or "doing more" in whatever field you take. Part of this is being exposed to the challenges that will develop your own expertise. Aside from doing more, our experience in online classes allows us to become resilient as students. The whole experience of doing online pushed me to multitask, doing work, studying, and errands at the same time. It was challenging but doable because classmates and professors were there to support. Second, Ateneo imparts its very own mission to its graduates. The mission of persons-for-and-with others is embedded in the curriculum and the teaching styles of our professors. Third, it molded us to become one in mission, that is, to impart these learnings in our respective workplaces. And lastly, we are all called to become the lux in Domino or the light of the Lord in the world. These core values of excellence and service are my most enriching experiences in Ateneo education, and hopefully, I can impart these to my students.

What will you miss most about your online campus experience?

Online was one of our ways to adapt to the "signs of times" in education during a pandemic. It has its clear advantages too. We continued our discussions in our respective homes without struggling with the heavy traffic in Katipunan. 

What was your thesis about?

Praying Your Songs: Designing Prayer Session for Grade 5 Students of the Ateneo de Manila Grade School.

What's next for you?

 I am in the CLE department at Ateneo Grade School. The CLE task force group aimed to create a series of books for our grades 4, 5, and 6 students this school year.

What has been the most enriching experience for you at Ateneo? 

The award of 'The Stories of Hope' by Ateneo from Leni Robredo, Her Excellency former Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines in December 2018, was the most memorable and enriching experience for me at Ateneo.  

What will you miss most about your online campus experience?

The chance to interact with the range of scholars undermining the distance and differences, and the time-saved in online will be the most missable experience on online campus. 

What was your thesis about?

I've been trained in the sociolinguistics of Indian literary works in English by a world-known World Englishes scholar Prof Kingsley Bolton. Under his tutelage, I was able to evolve a conceptual framework. This framework (re) defines the factors contributing to the indigenization of English language novels. The theatrical premise is grounded on the notion of pluricentricity of the English language and the nativization and acculturation of English literary works in the Outer Circle countries.

What's next for you?

I'm currently employed as Assistant professor of English at The American College, affiliated to Madurai Kamari University, India. 

What has been the most enriching experience for you at Ateneo? 

My years in Ateneo felt like an Emmaus journey. I was not only taught about our Faith's truths but also accompanied by mentors and friends who witnessed God's love for me. 

Learning has been delightful, disturbing, and life-changing for them. I understood what "magis" is from my FIRE professors' witness of life and the joy of having a learning community with my FIRE-mates. In addition, my professors and the Jesuits' competence, commitment, and cura personalis inspired us to do more for the poor, the church, and the country. 

What will you miss most about your online campus experience?

I will definitely miss my adviser, Dr Maria Lucia Natividad's online mentoring and our "ping-pong" of thesis drafts, even if she lives in a different time zone. The kindness and encouraging words of my Theology professors, especially Dr Rae Sanchez, Dr Patricia Panganiban, and Dr Mike Asis, have been a source of consolation for me. Our other professors also opened a "thesis pantry" in our FIRE Thesis Writers' group chat, where we shared concerns and resources. We have professors who are into online consultation even at 3 am in Leuven, and 1 am in California. I deeply appreciate the Zoomustan with my FIRE-mates, the Breathing Space sharing, the post-election accompaniment, and discernment. 

What was your thesis about?

It's a teachers' manual on Christian Morality for CLE 9 (Christian Living Education) educators of Salesian Schools. It aims to help teachers lead their students to friendship and discipleship with Jesus Christ. Its contributions in the research field are the integration principle, the Formation Institute for Religion Educators' (FIRE) methodology, "the way of beauty," and the Salesian Youth Spirituality in teaching Christian Morality. It hopes to form 'bida, bayani, banal' young people, Don Bosco's "good Christians and honest citizens," missionary disciples who respond to the love of God through the service of others.

What's next for you?

I will continue to disturb, engage, accompany and hopefully inspire young people as I teach Christian Morality and Church in Mission in hyflex classrooms. I will also be forming young catechists who will teach our poor oratorians about the Faith every Sunday. I will continue to research and write formation materials that will respond to the needs of a post-COVID ministry and the challenges of Directory for Catechesis 2020. I have other dreams that I think will be relevant to our mission, but maybe they have to mature and wait. Sisters live by obedience. Whatever our obedience is, we hope to lead others to friendship with Jesus Christ and the loving service of His people.

What has been the most enriching experience for you at Ateneo?

My years of service in the Committee of Graduate Students Concerns (CGSC) truly molded and grounded me as an Atenean graduate student- leader. Taking the helm as the Committee’s Chairperson in 2020, at an uncertain and precarious time, renewed my appreciation for cura personalis and empathy. The needs and circumstances of our constituents were varied, and taking inspiration from a quote by Damian Barr, albeit we were all braving the same storm, we could not expect all of our constituents to be riding similar boats. We needed to search for and meet our constituents wherever they were, and they had to be assured that every Atenean, regardless of what boat they were on, would be accounted for.

What will you miss  most about your online campus experience?

For some time, the conveniences of conducting classes and committee meetings through video calls seemed to outweigh the allure of the free drinks and sandwiches that were usually offered after pre-pandemic onsite conferences. Joking aside, I will surely miss the creative virtual Zoom backgrounds, those awkward yet at times amusing Zoom “seances” (ex. “Hello? Are you still there? Give us a reaction if you can hear us.”), and of course, those Brady Bunch opening titles themed class photos where all the faces of the people in the call could fit in a screenshot.

What was your thesis about?

Utilizing a transnational framework and thematic analyses of relevant primary historical sources, I studied the dynamic histories and development of two early 20th century meteorological observatories: the Manila Observatory and the Royal Observatory Hong Kong. My thesis argued that exposure to typhoons in the Western North Pacific region motivated collaborative inter- colonial networks of meteorological communications between the two observatories. However, locally-bound typhoon warning systems influenced those networks with encounters of conflict and compromise.

What’s next for you?

My journey through the ups and downs of academia is far from over, and I am eager to grab every learning opportunity that comes my way. I look forward to gaining new knowledge and skills from mentors, collaborating with fellow scholars, and “paying it forward” through my teaching and research work . I firmly believe in grit, consistency, and perseverance, but I also understand that timing, patience, and humility are also necessary for me to achieve those three stripes on my toga.