Featuring an interview with the head of the Projects Department of Candle Pen!
Sonny Fanco once wrote, “The greatest project you’ll ever work on is you.”
Anika Lorelle Uy, the Managing Editor for the Projects Department, ponders on this quote as she reflects on the outreach-workshop that Candle Pen organized last January 27, 2023, at Palanan Elementary School.
“I believe this quote really relates to how I was able to how I constantly try to develop myself in order to help others develop. I was indeed able to reflect about always being at my best,
knowing that what I do is for a cause,” Uy adds thoughtfully.
During the workshop, John Laurence Guzman, Candle Pen’s moderator and adviser, was able to teach the future writers of the Philippines about news writing. The organization has been
pouring its hearts and souls into this event since the start of the school year, and the hard
work has certainly paid off.
When asked about the planning process, Uy comments, “I would definitely describe it as lengthy; often times draining because of concept paper revisions, making final decisions,
the patience to wait for the go signal to commence the project’s execution. Yet at the end when everything we had planned got accomplished, it was an overload of fulfillment; and I believe the staff who worked hard to assist in contributing for this long-awaited program also felt the same.”
Throughout the years, Makati Hope Christian School has been doing outreaches and programs for many schools and other organizations–but this year, why Palanan Elemen-
tary School specifically? Uy has an informative and heartfelt response to that.
“I pictured that MHCS may be able to expand its diverse publication platform to even
more public educational institutions in Makati, in giving more students exposure to the
wonders of writing. Palanan Elementary School being one of them just makes it a whole new experience; along with their impeccably bright students, publication, and administration. I can
confidently say that the writers of the next generation will be trained in good hands thanks to our beloved Candle Pen moderator and publications officer, Sir John Laurence Guzman.”
Besides the evident smiles on the faces of the participants and the new knowledge being
imparted to their hearts, the event has also impacted Candle Pen greatly because it allowed
the organization to work for a cause that they truly believe in, which is to empower the youth
to remain true to mirroring the voice of the Filipino people in the hopes to advocate a life that
is prosperous and equitable.
Additionally, 15 members of Candle Pen were also present at the onsite event. Uy ends the interview with a summary of her reflection on the entire outreach-workshop experience as an organizer.
“From the conceptualizing process to execution, being a projects planner is more complex than what I initially thought; to be keen on every detail and attend to several matters at a time piling up alongside academics can be overwhelming. However, with the assistance of my fellow staff members and remembering the goal- to accomplish this outreach for the good of others, I was able to stay resilient and patient for what is yet to come.”
Written by Tara Sabrina Mohammad
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