For decades, I have been engaged in journalism education not only as a university journalism and media professor but also as a mentor to student writers and their school paper advisers.
I consider it as a mission in life to spread the seeds of journalism and help nurture the interest of those who have pinned their interest in the trade in certain points of their lives.
I remember a question the panel raised when I applied for an overseas graduate fellowship in journalism – why I was interested in the grant. My answer was quick. Having wanted to study journalism since grade school days, I was frustrated to realize there was no existing tertiary academic program then which focused in journalism education in the region.
Thus, after earning the graduate grant, I equipped myself with the tools needed, with the help of my professors and the hands-on exposure graduate school provided, to embark on that mission.
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Upon my return, I taught part-time in as many universities and colleges that started to offer either a Journalism or writing subject or course – including those in Iloilo, Kabankalan and Dumaguete cities.
Eventually, I had the opportunity to expand my journalism teaching realm to three universities abroad under a short visiting lecturer grant from an international organization engaged in Christian higher education. Likewise, my communication-related studies were also shared in Asia-Pacific academic conferences.
In addition to my editing and university teaching career, I embarked – even before my specialized training abroad – on a mentoring journey for campus writers and advisers, a path that has taken me to various regions across the country and the national student editors’ conferences of the Department of Education.
Truly, I have been privileged to share my knowledge and gift in writing as I have trained thousands of campus journalists through the years, helping them nurture and pursue their writing interest and improving hundreds of campus publications.
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This school/academic year has been a busy one for me, especially that I have been on recovery stage from my post-pandemic stroke, especially that more schools are strengthening their campus journalism programs. It has been my source of joy helping strengthen these programs institutionalized particularly by the Department of Education and the Philippine Information Agency.
While my role is basically focused on trainings and lectures, I have the privilege now and then to serve as consultant, guiding pioneering publications along various steps related to publication Management and production.
One of these activities is JOURN-VERSATIONS, an online platform dedicated to guide advisers perform their tasks more effectively and, if I may say, more professionally.
While school paper advisers have plenty of tasks to do beyond their teaching chores, many of them have squeezed in time to engage in our weekend online sessions.
The feedback has been encouraging – something that has pushed me to go on in my mentoring journey despite my personal health and related issues.
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As I mark another year in my life at this time of the year, I am thankful to the Lord that He has kept my mental and oral faculties highly functional so that I can pursue this mission of mentoring young minds in their pursuit of truth, fairness and justice.
One of the joys and opportunities I had lately was helping a farm-based college build its own publication. This recent initiative started in February when Ma’am Mariam Castel, sister of my friend and former student, Maricon Ramos, contacted me in February if my team of journalism mentors, can conduct a campus journalism training in her school.
Ma’am Mariam is the vice president for academic affairs of Catholic Ming Yuan College, an agriculture-based school in Barangay Blumentritt in Murcia.
With numerous campus activities taking much of the students’ time, the organization of the staff was stalled until early October.
Once the staff was formed, editor-in-chief Christine Ortiz mobilized the writers to expand their newly-established Facebook platform by publishing The THUNDER, a 16-page digital tabloid which carried campus and community news, commentaries, feature and sports.
The pioneering efforts, with the support and encouragement of the college administration, have led the publication to be represented in the annual campus journalism training and college press conference of the Philippine Information Agency.
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It is my honor as a technical consultant to have been part of the realization of the dream to provide students and the community a platform to inform, entertain, educate and help shape public thought through the CMYC campus publication.
Just like the seeds sown on field by its students, it is expected that the paper will eventually bear fruit and lead to a bountiful harvest through this information- communication-and education initiative – in the service of the students and their community.
For all these opportunities in sharing my gift in writing and mentoring, I am grateful to the Lord, the source of my knowledge, skills and endurance.
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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isaiah 52:7) | NWI
