An alumni (class of 2009) of ISM and keynote speaker of GINILA 2014, Alexandra Eduque acutely articulated her presentation on The 5 C’s: Collaboration, Creativity, Compassion, Citizenship, and Country. First of all, Eduque continued to emphasize how collaboration allowed people to bring their facets to form an innovative platform of ideas and values. As a firm believer in how joining forces will help people leave significant impact to their communities, Eduque enunciated “We are only as great as the support we get from our community.” Secondly, creativity. With a motto of “Think loud; think proud; think outside the box.” Alexandra Eduque expressed how we would be able to form original, novel ideals that will help our society. This directly linked to her third C, Compassion. “With compassion, we can develop faith and belief for what we’re doing,” Eduque said. “Compassion allows people to see past the ordinary, unlike a growing problem in our world, apathy.” Next came citizenship – a way for people to learn not only to revere their own country but also to respect other cultures and values. Last but not the least, the fifth C, Country, was about how one is only recognized as a global citizen when one realizes ones’ own roots and country. By starting change in a local community and gradually spreading outwards, citizens would gain confidence and hope throughout. As her keynote came to an end, Eduque could not emphasize more how pivotal it is to act NOW. The five C’s, all tied in an amalgamation, pointed out what is perhaps the overarching theme: immediate action bringing a desirable future ahead.
-Julie Min
-Julie Min