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Welcome back everyone! To start off our semester back, we have been given the opportunity to interview fellow students in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and who better to ask than our Student Body Organization President, Kirsten Say. She is 20 years old and is a third-year occupational therapist student herself. From questions about being SBO president to questions about student life, Kirsten has a lot of insight into the ins-and-outs of being a student, who not only survives, but thrives as well.
Starting with questions regarding student life and what it takes to be successful, Kirsten had a lot to say. As a third-year student herself, Kirsten has definitely gone through the highs and lows of being a college student. When presented with the task of giving advice to underclassmen on being successful in school, Kirsten emphasizes the importance of not being scared to ask for help, whether it be from classmates, friends, or family. She also points out that being a successful student requires us to create bonds and relationships where everyone is both giving and taking. It’s important to not only ask and receive help, but to offer help to others as well. Another piece of advice Kirsten has is to take a break. “Learn the benefits of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and taking regular breaks. Talk to the people you care about. Take a well-deserved break. School is a vital part of your life, but it isn't the only thing you should focus on. It is not only about school that is important.” I think we can all agree that being a CRS student can get overwhelming. But with all of this in mind, we can keep on persisting!
Apart from being a CRS student, a big part of Kirsten’s identity is being part of SBO. Being SBO president has definitely allowed her to be more involved with the community and has given her the opportunity to not only better herself as a student, but to better her future self as well. Little did you all know, Kirsten didn’t even originally want to run for president, but treasurer instead! But thanks to Sir Paul’s advice on losing, Kirsten was able to push herself out of her comfort zone and ran for president. We all struggle with self-doubt and are our biggest critics, but Kirsten’s story really shows us how possibilities open up that we would not think are possible once we step out of our comfort zones and the limits we place on ourselves.
Being part of SBO has been an enjoyable experience for Kirsten, but it does come with its challenges. Especially in these challenging times, we all have learned to adapt and make the most of our situation. “I'm still getting used to it, but so far it's been a lot of fun. The SBO fees have proven to be the biggest challenge we've encountered thus far. Although we are unlikely to collect, this will not deter us from continuing with the activities. We can still make it work and complete the tasks. Even in the absence of SBO fees, we continue to brainstorm ways to recognize and reward students' achievements.” This pandemic has really pushed us physically, mentally, and emotionally as students. But its also shown us just how resilient we all are. It’s amazing to see students, like Kirsten, really take part in school affairs, despite being online and despite it being a strange and stressful time in our lives.
So how does Kirsten do it all? From being an OT student, to being SBO president, to being a regular young adult, how does she manage everything? Especially with this e-learning situation that has been going on for over a year, we had to ask Kirsten has she manages it all.“My goal is to complete all of my assignments as quickly as possible because it becomes overwhelming when they begin to accumulate. If there's something I can do, I'm going to do it. After a year of practicing it, I found it to be really tiring, and I found myself overworked most of the time due to my tendency to hyper concentrate. I'd eat once, drink some water, and then get to work. So now I tell myself that I need to understand why I am unable to do these things right now in order to be able to focus later on. What helped me was making notes with deadlines and reminders, which I then referred to afterward. It helps me to see things in their entirety before I start working on them. I've learned to take regular pauses in order to be more productive and efficient.” Hearing Kirsten’s advice and her own experience has really shown us how collective the struggle of being a student is. We all struggle with the same things when it comes to being a student, whether that be procrastination or feeling overwhelmed and overworked. But Kirsten has really shown us that it’s okay to struggle, we all really do! But with proper self-care, proper focus, and a positive mindset, like Kirsten, we can find this balance that will help us to be better students.
Now on a less serious note, let’s move on to the good stuff. Memories made at Liceo! Fortunately, Kirsten was able to experience face-to-face before the pandemic and experience the whole college experience in person. “Everything is a blur, but one very strong memory is of the first day of school following the orientation program. We all came to the realization that we were just 11 classmates! ” Kirsten even talks about all piling into a car driven by one of her classmates. There were definitely a lot of more fun and memorable moments at Liceo, but like a lot of us, Kirsten is prone to forgetting things, but that was her best recollection of her “OT fam.” Hopefully, we all can be face to face next year and get the opportunity to make memories in person. But in the meantime, here’s to making the most of our situation as students and the memories we are able to make via computer screens and group calls. Before we know it, these moments that we share online will become memories of our own as we one day graduate.
Article by: Andrea Tolentino, CRS Newsletter Writer
Assisted by: Irah Marie C. Añora, CRS Newsletter Writer
Edited by: Floriline Mae Alado, Head of CRS Newsletter Writers
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