HIRAYA nurse him to sleep - he would literally just wait for me to come home, every single night, no matter what time I arrived. I took a space of rest and quietude to calm my mind who was scared that the end was near. I thought about resigning, but when I remembered my WHY - why I decided to take on the presidency, I knew I would still not have the heart to let go.
themselves. I wanted to be a vessel of hope for others and inspire more people to take a step forward and make a choice to be active instead of just being a bystander. And when things go harder, I just go back to my why and my mission why I chose to do this in the f irst place. 2. Strive for growth not perfection. Every term is different , and so are the circumstance of every person in the chapter. Small improvements take you to the higher road. Enjoy the journey of the present. The changes today will be the building blocks of a better tomorrow. 3. Nurture love and connections in your heart. Whatever cause you decide to f ight for, make sure to keep love in your heart - for your family, for what you do and the people you meet along the way. I have been honored to meet a wealth of good hearted people, new f riends within the JCI community. To my Hiraya batchmates, advocacy partners, and new f riends, I am grateful for the new f riendships. I wish we can catch up on lost time when this is all over.
To my 2020 team of directors, you are the main reason why I chose not to let go. Thank you for being with me in my darkest days. Thank you for allowing me to lead you. I look forward to see the day that each of you will become bigger champions of positive change in what ever f ield you choose to pursue, and also here in JCI. January was hard because my father was sick. It wasn’t easy to plan and make decisions at the height of a personal and natural disaster. But we kept going, together. My dad was released f rom conf inement and he stayed with me in our home while he recuperated, - I knew I wanted my kids and myself to spend more time with him. I even borrowed him f rom my mom. I thought things will be all well there after. I was proud to say we were also very supportive of Regional and Area Projects. We had the strongest chapter delegations for National Training Month. Back in March I was interviewed for a radio show and I was talking about women empowerment and JCI what it stands for and why it’s worth your time. I saw my dad after, that same day and we had family lunch near the hospital where he had a follow up visit. It was a happy day. 3 days after, he died of a heart attack. To my batch mates who also lost a father like me, I mourn with you. Let’s keep all the good memories of our loved ones alive. Just after I lost my dad, the lockdown happened. We all have stories of how we rose up to the situation. Because of JCI we were able to become vessels of hope. Through team effort, and thanks to our donors, we donated 33,000 PPEs to f rontliners at the height of the pandemic. Things will not always go the way we want it. But the tragedy and uncertainty of 2020 all molded us Hiraya presidents to muster extra resilience and political will to make decisions. I had f rustrations along the way but we just make the best of what can be done given limitations. When things were not exactly as we hope for, I just always remind myself to lead with the heartand the mind. And everything will be okay. To my Hiraya Batchmates, congratulations for our one year to lead. Tough is def initely an understatement.
Before I close, I pass this leadership role to the 2021 Board of Directors. I am sure 2021 will be a better year with our set of high potential leaders. Keep the love for our chapter alive. Continue striving for excellence. Lead with the head and the heart. I close my presidency with my tanks full - there is fulf illment f rom JCI that no money can buy. It’s that fulf illment knowing we’ve helped others when help was badly needed. From millions worth of of donations done during the course of the pandemic last year, to smaller things unpublished but etched permanently in my heart… like raising future leaders, partnering with excellent advocates for mental health, environment conservation, women empowerment or disaster risk preparedness… or that small act of kindness for a f rontliner without a PPE to use at the height of the pandemic, reaching off-coast community of students in Romblon with no access to water or giving hope to those who are stuck below poverty level. All these I lose my words for, but it is because of JCI that my heart expanded so much bigger because I know being an agent of positive change is something I would like to do even quietly, or past my JCI age (which is 2 years f rom now). It’s been a great honor to serve and lead. Congratulations to all of us who decided to amplify the voice of the youth to do more for others. Positive change doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s just always done with decisiveness to change something for the better one person, one project at a time. Be bold. Be brave. Be the light.
I’d like to share 3 lessons I learned that enabled me to hurdle through the challenges of the presidency. 1. Be clear with your mission. My mission was clear at the very start. I wanted to cultivate a pay-it-forward culturewhich was the very essence why I joined JCI in the f irst place. I wanted to empower others to believe more in
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