Mommy Practicality: Education

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

BingoPlus Foundation Brings Hope To Deserving Students with its FutureSmart Scholarship Program

I remember when I was finishing college, my parents were inching their way to support my education. My father had an early retirement as a banker. Since then, my mom put up a small merchandising store which supported our education. It was one of our hardest times back then. So I said to myself, I promise to do my best to get good grades and get a tuition discount to help with the expenses. I believe should there be a private foundation willing to sponsor my college education or make me their scholar, I could be one of the deserving students back then. But there weren't any available at that time.

Fortunately, today, there are foundations such as BingoPlus Foundation that gives hope to deserving students.

What is BingoPlus?

BingoPlus is the first online bingo in the Philippines. It is also one of the most exciting gaming platforms in the country as it continues to rule app downloads, resulting in massive audience play among Filipinos. BingoPlus is another innovative and entertaining offering of publicly listed LRWC. Appreciative of the success it has been getting, the company, through the BingoPlus Foundation, has been giving back to society in the form of various corporate citizenship initiatives. It is an active supporter of environmental and charitable projects.

College Scholarships for Deserving Students

BingoPlus Foundation, is also set to provide college scholarships to 10 deserving students in the country and will be called FutureSmart Scholarship Program. This scholarship grant is being done in partnership with iACADEMY, one of the most innovative and sought-after technology, design, and business school in the Philippines.

2 key goals for this campaign.

To make the public aware of what the scholarship program stands for. The idea is to make the scholarship a solid Proofpoint of the social and national good that BingoPlus wants to be recognized for.
To entice as many qualified students as possible.

The FutureSmart Scholarship Program:

BingoPlus Foundation Scholarship Program is open to the following:

Young incoming college students who have financial challenges in supporting their education (for further evaluation by the foundation)
Students who are intellectually gifted in technology, especially those interested in the following courses:

Bachelor of science in Computer Science with specialization is software engineering

Bachelor of science in Entertainment and Multimedia computing game development
Bachelor of science in information technology with specialization in web development

Social media savvy (Facebook, Tiktok, and the likes)

Qualifications:

Must carry the regular load prescribed by the course
Must obtain GWA of not lower than 1.75 and no grade lower than 2.50 in any subject
Must possess good moral character
Must not have been subjected to any disciplinary action by the school, either academically or administratively during the period enrolled

Should you qualify, here are the steps you must take:

Complete these requirements:

Documentary requirements:

Letter of intent
Certified true copy of previous grades covering SY 2021 – 2022
Recommendation letter from guidance counselor or faculty
Certificate of good moral character
Income Tax Return (IT) or BIR Certification of Exemption from Filing IT if unemployed (To be provided by parents/guardian)
Certificate of Employment (COE) stating the following: position in the company and monthly Salary (To be provided by parents/guardian)

Video requirement:

The applicant should create a two (2) minute video pitch expressing willingness to work for the granter upon graduation and covering the following points:

(a) Why do I deserve the scholarship?

(b) How can you give back to the country when you graduate?

Are you the student BingoPlus Foundation is looking for? Do you possess these qualifications? If your answer is yes, then here's what you should do next:

Qualified and interested students should submit their application via this email: scholarship@iacademy.edu.ph
Deadline of submission of application for the scholarship: January 13, 2023
Date of announcement of the chosen scholars: February 2023

I know that there are a lot of students who qualify and are deserving of this financial assistance. I may not receive any help during my time when my parents were struggling to make sure I finish school, but I sure am joyful that today, there are foundations such as BingoPlus Foundation who give hope to students who have big dreams but need help to achieve them.

Good luck dear students! And more power to BingoPlus Foundation!

UPDATE as of February 15, 2023:

LOOK: BingoPlus Foundation and iACADEMY recently conducted the selection process for the P6 Million FutureSmart Scholarship Program. The chosen scholars who will get to study tech engineering at iACADEMY starting next school term will be announced very soon.

Present during the candidate selection were (from left) BingoPlus Vice President for Brand Marketing and BingoPlus Foundation Representative Felbin Peter Soto, iACADEMY Senior Manager for the Office of Student Affairs and Services Anna Fernandez, iACADEMY Chairperson of Web Development and OIC Dean of Software Engineering Bennett Tanyag, and iACADEMY Scholarship Officer Richen de Castro.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Nourishing Teenagers' Well-Being in the New Normal of Learning

Mapúa University conducted a free webinar entitled “Nourishing Your Teenager's Well-Being in the New Normal of Learning,” to help mommy attendees learn how to nourish teenager's well-being in the new normal of learning. My eldest is an incoming senior high school and since he was little, I've been an intentional mom to him. If you still have your young children and toddlers with you whom you wish would grow up soon, I tell you, having a teenager is a different ball game.

In my experience of being a teenager mom, I can say that their phase is more complicated compared to younger ones. I know you know that so well because you were once a teenager right? They have different beliefs and you can't easily sway their decisions of influence them because they listen more to peers at this stage.

One thing I learned is to build a strong and open communication with them while they are young. This way, they can't help open up issues or emotions with you even when they are teenagers. That's the kind of relationship I have with my teenager son. Praise God.

But even if I think I know my son so well, Mapua University's webinar was still an eye-opener to me especially in the area of studying or learning. What makes it even timely and valuable is that our teenagers are also coping with the new normal of learning because of the pandemic. I want to share with you some important key takeaways from the talk.

The webinar discussed topics ranging from assessing Filipino students’ readiness for online learning, mental and emotional challenges during online learning, nourishing the students’ well-being to adapt to the new normal of learning, as well as Mapúa’s Center for Guidance and Counseling (CGC) programs in enhancing the well-being of students.

Self-Regulation/Self-Regulated Learning

This depends on the student's behavior and performances in online education. According to Dr. Edward Jay M. Quinto, an associate professor at the Mapúa’s School of Social Sciences and Education, self-regulated learning is multi-component and that these components include goal setting, environmental structuring, time management, task strategies, help seeking, and self-evaluation. We need to know our children really well in order to know what learning styles fit them. What are your teenager's talents, special skills, or how is he or she unique? As parents we should also know if they are introverted? extroverted? This also includes even their time management skills, do they prepare ahead of time or are better when cramming? How about learning environment, do they study better in their room, on the bed or traditional desk and chair? Also on goal setting when our kids don't do well especially in compliance, we should be able to explain how things are done and why they should be done that way. Are they are help-seeking or self-reliant? Their personalities dictate what kind of learner are they and knowing this help us as parents to efficiently boost their confidence in learning in this new normal.

Things can ask our teenagers:
- What are their learning style or what method of learning helps them better?
- Do they work better when tasks are given daily or for projects do they want open deadlines?
- Do they feel more confident when they ask their classmates or teachers regarding their lessons or can they do self-study or work better alone?

Mental and Emotional State of Students

The pandemic has clearly affected our teenagers and may affect their learning capabilities or readiness. that's why the compassion survey conducted among students by Mapua University was helpful in providing insights on intervention techniques that can be used by both parents and educators. Dr. Jonathan V. Macayan, the dean of the School of Social Sciences and Education pointed out that the responsibilities of the school in addressing the mental and emotional well-being of students include the design and implementation of academic and school policies that are sensitive to and supportive of the mental health and well-being of students, the development of a school–parent collaboration system that will aim to monitor and ensure students’ well-being in online learning, as well as the development and implementation of necessary student support services.

Things we can ask our teenagers:
- What are they uncertain of?
-  Do they sometimes feel alone or helpless?
- Can they identify themselves well when at home? With peers?

Fostering Resilience

The third speaker is the University’s program chair for Behavioral and Human Science, Prof. Jasmine Nadja J. Pinugu, who points out that fostering resilience is critical to a teenager’s well-being during difficult times. She said that the key to nourishing students’ well-being is by fostering resilience, and one can do this by maintaining a positive self-regard for themselves, teaching them life skills such as positive coping and problem-solving skills, enabling them to have a sense of purpose and agency, maintaining positive social connections, as well as emotional regulation. “At this time of pandemic, there should be stronger collaboration between the students, parents,

and the teachers,” Pinugu said.

How we can help as parents:
- Teach them kindness and forgiveness not only of other but of themselves.
- Teach them life skills by making them decide on certain matters at home to encourage critical thinking.
- Show interest in what they do and asking how they are doing.
- Train how to make daily or weekly plans and sticking to them.
- Teach importance of complete sleep and teaching mindfulness in every thing they do.

Arlene V. Clarete-Macatuggal, Mapúa’s director for student advising and counseling, shared how the University has been responding to the needs of its students while learning in an online environment. She explained that Mapúa CGC offers various services for its students to help them cope with the new normal. These services include counseling, coordinating, appraising, and consulting services. “We just don’t wait for students to come to us, but we schedule them for counseling through Blackboard or [Facebook Messenger] to help them with their needs,” Macatuggal said.

I personally learned a lot after attending the webinar. My favorite topic was THE PLACE that our teenagers go to (a part of their persona - where they can identify themselves as a unique individual from one place to another). As parents, we really need to be in constant communication with our teenagers. We need to be intentional in getting to know them. This will signal us whether they are okay or are in trouble because their overall well-being affects how they will perform in the new normal of learning.

Through the webinar, Mapúa University aims to best equip parents with the tools needed to help their children have a productive, engaging, and safe learning experience remotely. It is imperative that parents, students, and the academe work together to provide a seamless academic experience for children via the online learning journey.

Friday, March 30, 2018

National Book Store's NBS College QC, Now Open

Honestly, I don't know anyone who didn't grow up with or don't know National Book Store. It's the go to book store since I started schooling, until I graduated college, and up to this day that I have my own studying children. That beloved book store which has been around for 75 years, founded by Socorro Cancio-Ramos, has now stepped up by creating an institution for higher learning, right at the heart of Quezon City - NBS College.

NBS College is located on the 3rd and 4th floors of the National Book Store Building on Quezon Ave. corner Scout Borromeo and Panay Avenue. The institution is now open for enrollees this school year 2018-2019. This year, it will be offering six in demand degree programs such as:

BS Accountancy - for students who want to pursue a professional career in accountancy and later on take the the CPA Licensure Examinations.
BS Accounting Information System - for students who want to pursue a professional career in this field - professional business accountancy combined with computer systems. This course complies with the International Federation of Accountants standards.
BS Entrepreneurship - to equip students with an entrepreneurial mindset to identify business opportunities, create and mobilize new enterprises
BS Computer Science - for students who want to study the latest standards and practices in Software Engineering and want to succeed in software solutioning.
BS Library and Information Science - for students who want to be trained to harness a range of bibliographical and online tools to support teaching, research, and other services.
BS Tourism Management - for students who want to be engaged in tour operating businesses with premium on entrepreneurial skills and trade planning.

NBS College President, Mr. Adrian Ramos, introduced the highly competent faculty/board of directors and I was impressed by the academe experiences and backgrounds of each. They are backed up by years of academe leaderships and experiences from different top colleges and universities. It honestly gave me an impression that indeed NBS College has invested well not only on the financial side, but also on its time, effort, research, to ensure that they are offering quality education by putting the right competent people to help both the institution and its students reach its Mission and Vision.

Adrian Ramos, President - is currently the VP and CFO of National Book Store, Inc.
June Genevieve Sebastian, VP for Administration and Academic Services - A double bachelor's degree graduate from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland and has a masteral degree from DLSU. She's a former executive director of Makati Hope Christian School.
Cecilia Anido, VP for Academic Affairs - Dr. Cecilia Anido has masters and PhD degrees, and is a highly experienced and esteemed academic. She was previously an FEU VP for Academic Affairs and also a CHED technical panel member.
Deborah Acosta - Cajustin, VP for Finance and Legal - Atty. Acosta-Cajustin is a UP Diliman graduate and law graduate from San Beda xcollege. She's currently a Law Professor in San Beda and the Finance and Legal Director of the National Book Store group.
Lydia Echauz, VP Chairman of the Board - Dr. Echauz held several top leadership positions in DLSU's Graduate School of Business, ADMU, and notably former President of FEU

The media event was graced by Quezon City's Vice Mayor, Ms. Joy Belmonte and a number of City Councilors. When the Vice Mayor gave a speech, she expressed her full support to NBS College and is proud to have QC as its home.

There were important and practical questions raised and each was dealt with informative and helpful answers by the board of directors. Here were some:

Why only offer these six courses?

NBS College is offering these selected in-demand courses on its year of opening to ensure that their graduates have greater chances of being hired right after graduation. These are the courses or fields that most businesses need to run their companies.

What will be the teaching method?

NBS College's edge or game plan is perfect for today's youth, more than theoretical, they want to employ practical learning through simulation and practice of the student's learning. During a pocket interview, they will also be open to digital style of learning once the concept will be approved by governing bodies in education.

How much is the tuition fee?

Each semester will cost around Php25,000 above. But they will be offering an attractive scholarship and financial assistance grant to deserving students and the pioneer batch.

Valedictorian/Salutatorian/1st Honorable Mention (Rank 1-3)- 100% free tuition and miscellaneous fees + free school uniform and books.
Top 10 Graduating SHS students (Rank 4-10) - 100% free tuition and miscellaneous fees
Pioneer Batch - Scholarship grant of Php12,500/year for SY 2018-2019. Tuition per unit locked-in for 4 years.
NBS Group Employee Rate - First 75% accepted applicants (employees or dependents) will get 20% tuition fee discount, if you didn't get in the cut, there will still be a 5% discount on tuition. Salary loans for employees are also available.

Campus Tour

After the Q&A, we were toured around the campus and I was honestly impressed. As a start, the two-floor campus is spacious, well-ventilated, student-centric, modern, well-planned, has complete facilities, and every corner/room is conducive to learning.

Library

Computer Laboratory

Gym

Business Simulation Classroom

Accountancy Classroom

Regular Classroom

Students' Lockers

Student Ambassadors in their NBS College Uniforms

Why would NBS College be a considerable school to enroll in?

As a parent myself who attended the launch, I also had that question in mind. But after seeing their campus, the curriculum, learning about the school's mission and vision, and meeting their board of directors and some members of faculty, I believe, NBS College though a new player in the field of education, is a school that's worthy to be considered. This institution may be new but, NBS College promises to be an institution for higher learning founded on 75 years of unparalleled business tradition, which is National Book Store. A trusted name/business servicing the needs of parents and students in the country. It's a good college to be considered especially if you're going to be part of the pioneering batch or a top ranking student, because of their scholarship grants. Their board of directors and faculty members are expertly-experienced and with high caliber academic backgrounds will bring quality education to the students and equip each with values and discipline to make them globally competitive.

To know more about NBS College:

Visit their website nbscollege.edu.ph

Follow @nbscollegeph on Facebook and Instagram

Inquire through (02) 216-5716

Email info@nbscollege.edu.ph

NBS College is located at:
3rd/4th Level, NBS College,
Sct. Borromeo corner Quezon Ave.,
Quezon City