Ms. Joanne Gerio, a student under the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Master of Development Communication program, represented the graduating class of 2018 in the UPOU’s 22nd Commencement Exercises held on 29 September 2018. Ms. Gerio was one of the recipients of the Chancellor’s list award and topped the 2018 graduating class of the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS).
In an interview, she shared her experiences and challenges in juggling time for work and for her studies. She said that balancing and managing her time was very important because she works and studies simultaneously.
Ms. Gerio is currently living abroad in the City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates as a Human Resource and Project Administrator in a construction firm. “Living offshore, you need to adjust on the time difference.” Since UAE is four hours behind the Philippines, she said that at first it was very hard for her to comply with all the course requirements and assignments. But she tried her very best because it is her dream to earn a degree from the UPOU. She even compared UPOU as a “genie” who grants wishes for those who wanted to study in UP but can’t be there physically.
Another challenge that Ms. Gerio faced, especially during her thesis writing, was the collection of information and finding good literature as reference. She tried to contact her fellow classmates to help her find a way to have a copy of the materials that she needed. “In UAE, some information is restricted,” she explained. Therefore, sometimes writing her requirements or assignments took time. “Aspiring students who wants to be educated in UPOU should remove the connotation that [studying] online is easy.” According to Ms. Gerio, it was not easy for her to earn the degree and advises students who want to take on the challenge to be more serious about their studies. “They need to be flexible and take all the responsibilities. You can’t rely on your classmates and you need to really focus on your studies.”
She shared how she experienced failing to submit two of her requirements on time which stressed and questioned her capability in continuing her studies. She noted that “without those challenges, I think I will not work harder to finish my studies.”Without the help of the faculties-in-charge (FICs) and staff including the research assistants (RAs), I could not make it this far,” she added.
“I salute students who are struggling with this kind of online study. Despite finding it challenging, they are still giving their best shot to provide quality outputs.” She noted how important it is to have self-determination.
Ms Gerio has always considered herself as a dedicated student. She pushed herself to look for a job to support her family. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology major in Human Resource in Development from Bataan Polytechnic State University in Balanga, Bataan, she applied for a job overseas immediately. (JAgorilla)
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