IN THIS SERIES OF BLOG POSTINGS, WE FEATURE OUR ALUMNI AS THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE BEING IN THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS THEIR UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS AS FORMER XU DEVCOM STUDENTS.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE XU DEVCOM?

I chose XU DevCom because I vividly remember that I wanted a career that had to do with talking and listening to people whose insights, knowledge, and experiences did not often populate mainstream media back then. I am referring to people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and internally displaced populations, to name a few. I also knew that I wanted to tell stories that are mostly different from mine that would be both significant to the storyteller and the audience. When I learned that XU had a ‘communication’ program, I enrolled because I knew that this was my ticket to a career where doing what I am passionate about gets remuneration. I did not foresee that the term ‘development’ associated with ‘communication’ would make this course more profound.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAM.

Where do you want me to start? Should I go by year level, by the people involved, or by subject? 🙂 What I am conveying here is that being in the program was one of the most memorable and enriching days of my life! It makes me smile recalling how each of our DevCom teachers incorporated their own experiences to the courses they were teaching to make it challenging and interesting, and how they brilliantly crafted lectures, projects, and trips that somehow reflected social ‘reality’, to ignite creativity and critical thinking. The use of several, varied communication techniques, tools, and media to promote social justice, values and people’s wellbeing, were the primary focus of the courses. I am enumerating a few memorable statements from former and present DevCom faculty, directed either to the entire batch (other batches might have heard of these too) or to myself, to further rationalize my impressions of the program. I did some paraphrasing for brevity.

• In the course Introduction to Development Communication (2^nd year): “If you do not know the meaning of Development Communication, then you have no business in this class.”
• In the course Introduction to Theatre and Folk Media (3^rd year): “Today you did magic!”
• In the course Undergraduate Research in Development (4^th year): “I have invited experienced researchers and relevant field practitioners to serve as members of your thesis panel.”
• In the course Advanced Developmental Writing (4^th year): “This is an excellent article, but it’s late. I cannot grade this.”
• In the course Communication Strategies (4^th year): “DevCom is communication with a heart.”

I would have to say that it was during my DevCom days where I met the most competitive, yet, high-spirited and supportive people in my life. My experience of the program is indeed unforgettable because it emotionally and mentally mold me to be that agent of change that I want to be.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT JOB?

I have taken a break from doing research projects and is currently a PhD student at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. I am pursuing a doctoral degree on Gender Studies, particularly in the context of violent conflict and forced displacement.

ARE YOU USING WHAT YOU LEARNED IN COLLEGE?

Yes, have used and remain to use what I have learned from college, particularly those from my DevCom courses, in all of my academic degrees and work engagements in the Philippines and overseas. For example, the theoretical frameworks employed in communication research is very much the same with the paradigms utilized in health social science and gender studies. I could not overemphasise the value of the learning and skills I acquired through the course on interpersonal communication and communication, media, and society relative to interacting with different nationalities and personalities in both academic and work settings. These are just a few illustrations of how I have utilized what I learned from college under the DevCom program.

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND STUDYING DEVCOM?

If you are interested and open to be emotionally and mentally changed and challenged in order to contribute to social transformation, yes, study DevCom. If you want to become a critical thinker and not take anything, hook line and sinker, yes, get a DevCom degree. If you consider discourse, narratives, and fully comprehend and experience how both ‘what you say and how you say it’ are essential to creating, maintaining, and enhancing meaningful social relations, yes, join the DevCom program. For me, DevCom was not just a program. It was a momentous experience.