“BOOSTING UP” THE start of academic year (A.Y.) 2023-2024, the Society of Operations Management Students (SOMS) of San Beda University (SBU) organized a face-to-face assembly amongst Operations Management (OM) students at Room 34-N of the St. Anselm’s Hall last September 7.
More than just an opportunity to win PhP500 alone, as publicized in their publication material, the assembly was also meant to re-introduce the current officers of the organization’s Executive Board, while also providing insights to their possible events in the future and to establish “connections and camaraderie” among the students and the overall OM cluster.
The activity chair and president of SOMS, Kaila Del Rosario, the Vice-President for External Affairs, James Avila, the Vice-President for Internal Affairs, Lance Velandria, along with their moderator, Asst. Prof. Jenny De Guia, D.B.A., were the organizers and speakers of the said event.
Prior to the assembly proper, Del Rosario, Avila, and Velandria disclosed how the original date of the event was actually postponed three times due to a number of difficulties, such as the conflict of modality due to the graduation of the Class of 2023, the weather, and the processing of papers.
Emphasizing the challenge of processing papers, the three officers said that “Since this is our first event, we are yet to be familiarized with the new process, and we have a new set of officers who processed papers for the first time.”
Steadfast to their goal, while also aiming to keep the “#mOMentum” going for the new A.Y., the assembly was rescheduled to a later date: September 7.
Due to the number of games prepared and presented in the assembly, Del Rosario, Avila, and Velandria also revealed how it helped in “forging cooperation, initiative, and enjoyment” among the OM students, while “working towards a clear goal.”
Yet even amidst the show of teamwork and rapport by the students, a particular weakness of the event comes from the low number of attendees from the more senior students. The three officers nevertheless assured that attendance “could be improved further on for the concluding events of the organization.”
Nonetheless, Del Rosario, Avila, and Velandria took pride in how eventful the assembly was in “establishing a well-defined legacy for the department as well as for the organization.”
“This event was very promising as it helped build trust and relationships among the participants and an opportunity to oversee future leaders of the organization,” they added.
Following the success of SOMS’ assembly while taking into account the steady transition from online to face-to-face setup in the University, Del Rosario, Avila, and Velandria assured that the organization will keep the “#mOMentum” going through by “creating a more engaging and creative environment for our fellow students” that is “calibrated to focus on a more ‘hands-on’ approach to which involvement is extended beyond the walls of SBU.”
“Here at SOMS, the opportunities are endless, as we put a premium on leadership and development and allow everyone to experience what it’s like to step out of their comfort zone, to create, and empower other people and themselves to lead, manage, and build a community that is founded upon the Benedictine morals and values on their journey to be future operations managers,” they concluded.
