One of the many things that Kevin has done while quarantining in the comfort of his home is connecting to his family's heritage. The medium through which he did this is music, which he beautifully narrates in his personal essay, "The missing vinyl."

His essay was published last November 12, 2020, and on this episode, he joins our host on a call all the way from Laguna to talk about his love for music, his family heritage, and why he thinks it's important for everyone to know one's origins and learn how to love it.

About the guest: Kevin, 26, works at Laguna State Polytechnic University. He is currently taking up Master of Arts in Communication Arts at University of the Philippines Los Banos. He is fond of writing creative nonfiction and essays, reading books, and watching coming-of-age films.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

Abraham Cowley, a prolific personal essayist, once said, "I confess I love littleness in all things. A little convenient estate, a little cheerful house, a little company, and a very little feast; and, if I were to fall in love again, which is a great passion, and therefore, I hope I have done with it, it would be, I think, with prettiness rather than with majestic beauty."

Kristel shares the same sentiments with him, and she explains why living a well-lived life has nothing to do with grandeur, and everything to do with simply appreciating the little things in her essay, simply appreciation.

Kristel's essay was published last November 2, 2014. In this episode, she talks  about mental health, the power of consistency over intensity, and why she continues to live by her personal rule of never, ever smoking.  | About the writer: Kristel graduated from Saint Louis University with a degree in Accountancy. She is currently a full time government employee and a part time student. Her 2021 goals include taking more calculated risks.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

What does it mean to be an advocate of science? Does one have to be a scientist in a lab, an academic or a whiz kid to be considered as one? And is our country, along with our educational system, equipped with the necessary resources to produce world-class men and women in STEM?Anna Tongco answers those questions in this week's featured essay, "A fine day for science," which was published last May 2, 2017.

On this episode, she talks about her passion for her work as a food scientist, her life as a graduate student at Michigan State University, and her advice for young Filipinos who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM.

About the guest: Anna is primarily a food scientist, but she also likes to wear other hats. She's an amateur writer, a very amateur ballroom dancer and an even more amateur musician, theater enthusiast, bookworm and arnisadora.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

Almost everyone has that one answer when asked the question, "What is the secret to success?" To some, it's confidence, to others, it's grit. In the case of Ian, he was told that it's "diskarte."

He writes about his thoughts on this and its effect on our Philippine society in his essay, 'Diskarte.' His essay was published last October 13, 2020, and on EP 28, he joins us on a call to talk about the "Filipino culture of being resilient and "madiskarte," the work he's doing as a content creator and business person, and lastly, his own take on what it really means to be 'successful'.

Ian is a 25 year-old content creator and business person. He is one of the core leaders of Passionate Creators and the founder of The Writing Movement.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

Tish was a student in the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) when she wrote about her experience as a student-activist. In her essay, she narrates the way she's been stereotyped as an upper middle-class rallyista and more importantly, why she thinks it's important for all of us to devote ourselves to a cause that we strongly resonate with--no matter how simple.

Her essay was first published fifteen years ago, in 2006, and in this episode, she talks about how being an activist has molded her into who she is today as a mother, a writer, a philanthropist, and an overall superstar.

About Tish: Tish dreams of a Philippines where every Filipino can live with dignity. She is currently the lead convenor of The Foundation Foundation PH, a volunteer group that assists survivors of sex trafficking; and board member of the Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines. She has been working in public relations for over 13 years.

Photo by by Mixi Ignacio for Cosmopolitan Philippines.

Here are some resources on 2016 election funding and the case of Angelo dela Cruz:  https://www.ijurr.org/spotlight-on/political-geographies-of-right-wing-populism/waiting-for-duterte/ https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/how-much-do-candidates-owe-their-rich-backers https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/21/world/hostage-is-freed-after-philippine-troops-are-withdrawn-from-iraq.html

Episode art by Alexandra Ranielle Gallego

Produced by Caitlin Jo and Leah Cioco

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

Juggling work and school is a challenge in itself, and with the ongoing pandemic, it has only become harder. Kevin writes about the hardest moments of his experience as a working student in the time of COVID, and is a perfect example of what it means to be resilient amid tough times, in his essay, "Three letters after my name." Kevin's essay was published last January 12, 2021. 

On this episode, we talk about the lessons he learned  at Graduate School, how he managed to succeed despite the hurdles and his advice for listeners who may be considering to juggle school and work. | Kevin Galvez earned his Master’s degree in Marketing Communications from the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business,  De La Salle University (DLSU). He previously worked for a creative hub/coworking space in Makati as digital channels lead.  He now works as a freelance social media manager for international clients.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

Like many things, the internet has its own set of pros and cons. For some, the pros outweigh the cons, and for others, it's the complete opposite. The writer of this week's essay is one who identifies with the latter and she tells us why in her essay, Raised by the internet.

Featured in this episode is Lance Juarez, the editor-in-chief of the Spectrum at the University of St. La-Salle Bacolod. The Spectrum is the official student media corps of the University of St. La Salle.  Founded in 1956, the publication seeks to live out the core Lasallian values of Faith, Service, and Communion  to deliver stories for and beyond the Lasallian community. It seeks to initiate educated dialogue and create  meaningful and peaceful solutions to problems in society. And after discussing this week's feature essay, I will be talking about the work we do at The Spectrum and our prospective nationwide LSPC event.

About the featured writer: Joy Therese Gomez is a 21-year-old writer and philosophy graduate.  She usually tackles art, health and self-help in her works. In her free time, she likes to read books, meditate and look out the window.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

If you can't live without a stable Internet connection or without your phone by your side, you're not alone. From looking for the right path to a destination on Waze or Google Maps to watching a how-to video on YouTube, we see technology as a quick fix to a query or a problem we have. But like all other things, this also has a downside.

Romar Chuca, an MBA student at the Asian Institute of Management, talks about that in his essay, Alexa vs a curious, creative life.

About the guest:  Romar Chuca is son, a friend, a significant other, a child of God, an MBA student, a pianist, a graphic artist, an empanada businessman, a photographer, a singer, a classroom teacher, powerpoint enthusiast, a theatre director, a spiritual advisor, an events host, and so much more.  He has learned that the secret to enjoying life is to just focus and savour the here and now.  

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

There is no doubt that our heroes in this time of the pandemic include our doctors, nurses and other frontliners who risk their lives in order to help in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Our featured essay, "Something to live for," narrates the experience of a first-time mom while working as a physician-in-training. Truly, she, along with other health workers, are the unsung warriors of our time.

Featured in this episode is Negros Care, a Negros-based youth organization committed in providing PPE and other medical grade equipment to the health workers of underfunded hospitals in Negros. | About the guests: Angeli Sison is an internal medicine physician working in a tertiary government hospital.  She describes her experience on how it is to be a newbie mother and a doctor in the unforgiving frontlines of COVID-19,  to be torn between these roles, and finally how she was able to reclaim her sense of purpose despite it all.

Alanna is a second year student currently taking up BS in Public Health in UPV. Last year, she joined the Negros Care initiative, and is now now acting as one of the co-heads of the volunteer committee. Through her advocacy and active participation, she was recognized as one of the thousand DOST scholar-volunteers in the country.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

As children, we were often told to "reach for the stars" or to "dream high and dream big". But as we grow older, realities confront us and oftentimes discourage us to pursue our high hopes and big dreams. Erik writes about that in his essay, The Filipino Dream. Isaga, a graduate of Psychology, is currently a teacher by profession.  Through his writings, he wants to help his fellow Filipinos to dream well.  He likes to read just as he likes to eat ice cream.

John Jherlet Hollero is a BS in Information Technology Student at the University of Santo Tomas. He is also the Founder and the Vice-President of Algo Filipino, which is a tech youth organization devoted to teaching tech and other courses using the Filipino Language.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.