Ara D.

Espina

Team Philippines

M/Th 4:30-6:00 PM

October 12, 2013

On Responsibility, Learning, and Sharing

I woke up because of a friends call. It was raining very hard. I glanced at my clock and
saw that it was already 7 oclock in the morning. But the sun was nowhere in sight. My friend
informed me that classes in UA&P were already suspended. I was confused. We were supposed
to have the Economics Seminar for Women Microentrepreneurs. I called the head of all FOS101
class representatives. He informed me that he was still communicating with the ASA Philippines
representative.
At 9am, our head announced that all seminars will be conducted in the afternoon. I was
more that irritated when I read the announcement. I already scheduled my Saturday afternoon to
review for some of my final exams. The seminar was supposed to be held in the morning. But I
could not do anything about it anymore. The announcement came from the professors of
FOS101.
I decided to just get over it and go to school to reserve classrooms for my classmates and
distribute the certificates. I was really hoping for time to pass by in a blur. I wanted to end the
seminar as fast as possible. I still had a lot of things in my to-do list. As we were waiting for the
mothers to arrive, we prepared the food and the kits. And at precisely 1:30pm, the mothers came.
I did not know what to expect. But I was shocked when I saw more than 60 mothers fill
up the Li Seng Giap auditorium of UA&P. I thought only few will come because of the weather.
In a way, my heart started to feel excited about the event. Here I am, just a mere college student,
helping these mature individuals with their life and livelihood. I feel happy and proud about it.
We asked where they came from and it tore my heart when I realized that they came from
Novaliches and travelled for one hour and a half to be in the event. That was when my heart
completely sprang to life. I have to make this work! I have to make this event worthy of their
time and effort. They went to our university despite the weather. I must make sure that they
enjoy their stay here.
All throughout the seminar, those were the things in my mind. Suddenly, the whole event
was not a responsibility anymore. It became more of a gratitude work, something to give in
return for the things that I was blessed with. I was given a chance to study and learn about

Economics in one of the most prestigious business university in the Philippines. It is, therefore, a
privilege and a humble honor for me to return to society what I have acquired through a simple
sharing of knowledge. I shared to the mothers the Circular Flow Diagram. They told me that the
term was quite complex for them. But I assured them that they will understand it fully after my
discussion. And yes, they did! They were smiling and applauding me after my presentation.
Suddenly, all those sleepless night due to the endless requirements in FOS101 made
sense. It was all helping me get prepared for the culmination of my FOS101 experience. It is not
the Ecolympics nor the Photo Essay Competition. It is this once in a lifetime chance to share
with other people my learnings in Economics. I may not directly contribute to the economic
growth and development of the Philippines but I know it within me that I have indirectly touched
their lives through the study of Economics.
The time taken off from my Saturday afternoon to review for my finals was all worth it.
UA&P has been continuously changing me and my views in life. I started off as this shallow
teenager who only wanted to get good grades in college. But after a few months inside the gates
of this university, I realized the value of learning for the sake of learning. This is love for
learning. And after all this, there should be a sharing of the things I have learned.
I hope every subject has an event like this one.