4 minute read
Kirsten Angeles
WRITTEN BY KATHLEEN U. YAP
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A REGULAR day in Kirsten Angeles’ (4 BS HS) senior year involved more than just academics. In between her classes, she squeezed in communitybuilding work for organization Effective Altruism (EA) Philippines, as well as research for health institution EpiMetrics and the non-profit Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP). Despite her busy schedule, Kirs also dedicated time to personal activities like eating dinner with her family and exercising four times a week.
While her routine appears to be scheduled down to a tee, much of Kirs’ college experience is actually characterized by change. Her open mind, deep curiosity, and desire to make a positive impact have taken her to new paths aligned with doing meaningful work.
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES
Kirs first entered Ateneo as a BS Management Information Systems student, seeing potential in the booming technology scene. Her career path would later change, however, after joining The GUIDON where she was exposed to various issues that made her more sociopolitically aware. Although she was a news writer for only one year, she likens her time in the organization as a jump out of her sheltered comfort zone and the reason for her widened worldview. In particular, Kirs covered a TALAB talk about unions and labor rights of housekeepers. She was deeply moved as someone close to her own housekeeper was facing health problems that she was unaware of at first.
“This all kind of just accumulated and it made me think that there’s more to be done with health,” she said. The only question left was what would be her role to help improve the country’s public health system. She would soon shift to BS Health Sciences in her sophomore year with the dream of becoming a doctor.
A NEW CHAPTER
Kirs’ passion for creating a change grew stronger after discovering EA Philippines’ Ateneo chapter EA Blue through LIONS RecWeek in 2019. Among all the booths, EA immediately captured her interest as it touched on uncommon global issues like animal welfare beyond cats and dogs—something close to her as a plant-based eater since 2014.
Kirs was initially inactive in EA Blue due to commitments to other organizations. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Kirs used her free time to read more on EA. She also participated in EA Philippines’ eight-week discussion group, where she learned more about EA’s concepts and causes with other students and professionals in the country.
After the fellowship, an opportunity to be more engaged with EA presented itself: A search for a new EA Blue president. Kirs originally did not respond to the call as the role did not align with her desire to become a doctor. However, using the concept of counterfactual impact, she realized that she could do more in this cause that only had a few people involved in it. She thought, “What’s gonna happen with this [organization] if no one would pick it up?” As President, Kirs laid the foundation for EA Blue, creating new systems and engaging more active members. She successfully led the organization’s first Introductory Effective Altruism fellowship that produced a number of graduates and later on, guided its second run. Unlike in previous years, EA Blue also received mentorship from EA Philippines thanks to Kirs’ close coordination with them.
Despite her initial hesitations to step up as President, Kirs ended her term on a gratifying note. “[EA] is really what I love all together. You get to do stuff about [different causes] and help beings—not just people but beings across time.”
THE PERFECT FIT
Kirs’ deep engagement with EA created significant changes not only in the organization’s sustainability, but also in her life plan. Her use of counterfactual impact saw a comeback once again as she discerned in her future career. Although being a doctor would allow her to do good, she realized her heart was in EA and its community.
“[EA] is almost everything that I’m passionate about in a group of people. It doesn’t only hit me in a career way but it also piques me intellectually and emotionally.”
Much like the past four years, Kirs says that nothing in her career is set in stone. Right after college, she hopes to continue her community-building work with EA by jump-starting other university groups as she did with its Ateneo chapter. She also seeks to explore stints related to bio-security through research, as well as global health through NGOs similar to LEEP.
Whatever she chooses to pursue, Kirs remains grounded in her mission to do the most good in the world.
