OUT OF OTHER distinguished applicants from different schools in the country, two Bedan student-leaders successfully managed to overcome the tedious application process and join this year’s list of delegates in the Ayala Young Leader Congress (AYLC), which was announced last May 19.
Dianne Sheng, the current head of Sand Beda Economics Society’s (SBES) Research and Academics Committee, and Iane Tabor, who previously served as the former first-year Student Council (SC) batch representative for academic year (A.Y.) 2021-2022, are among the 84 delegates from around the Philippines to AYLC 2023.
The Ayala Corporation’s flagship youth program was founded in 1999 and is a renowned student leadership summit designed to “build confidence, hone leadership skills, nurture commitment, foster nationalism, and idealism, and encourage faithful stewardship among the youth.” Their annual summit “gives young leaders from different colleges and universities all over the country to rise above national challenges” and also “partners with companies across the Ayala group” to train student-leaders in the country.
The first stage of the application process is the submission of application forms with recommendations from the applicant’s mentors.
“What’s unique about the application process is that after you’ve written your leadership positions from the university and in the community, you were required to write essays about each and every single one,” Tabor, who is from the Legal Management department, shared.
For Sheng, the first stage of the application “was challenging but also fun because in accomplishing the requirements I was able to see how far I’ve come.”
After submitting their application form, applicants have to undergo an interview. Sheng says that this portion “was the most nerve-wracking part, honestly.” Nevertheless, she still expressed her gratitude to her family and to the University for supporting and helping her overcome this stage.
When asked about how she will apply the skills that she will learn in the student leadership summit, Sheng bared that “one of the things I really noticed about us Bedans is that we’re so competitive and while that’s definitely not a bad thing, sometimes it gets in the way of solidarity which I think is truly one of the pillars for a strong organization.”
“Excellent and competitive leaders are all good, but if no one is willing to compromise you know, to work together then all of those great leadership skills are rendered nugatory,” she added.
Tabor explained that through AYLC, he believes that the Congress “will amplify exponentially what I already have.”
Sheng also took the opportunity to tell her fellow Bedans who want to apply for the next AYLC to not “make the application the end-all-be-all of your life while applying. So many opportunities are always open to us.”
She added that Bedans should “practice honesty and integrity as life strategies” and that “honesty and integrity are your greatest assets. From your application down to the final stage – panel interview, never try to impress but instead, be honest.”
For Tabor, aspiring AYLC Bedan applicants should “explore what San Beda has to offer! Find an organization that fits your ideals and principles and that would open doors of opportunity for you.”
