“Of the Youth, By the Youth, For the Youth”: LPU Cavite Youth Delegate Participates in the GYLA Online Summer Program

The last “L” in the core values of “LPU N JPL” stand for Leadership. It is a value that seems easy to earn but difficult to maintain, especially in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. However, no matter how difficult the challenges that the world throws at them, the youth continuously show their vigor in becoming great leaders who will not only lead their community or nation, but also the world. One of our very own LPU Cavite students has taken on the challenge to learn more about being a leader that would be an agent of change, social innovator, and responsible entrepreneur for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Last August 16-27, 2021, Ms. Mia Aiko Pilapil, a Master’s in Public Administration student, together with her mentor Atty. Uella Mancenido-Gayo, the Director of the Human Resources Department, participated in the Online Summer Program of the Global Youth Leadership Academy (GYLA) based in Turin, Italy. This program was participated by around 130 youth leaders coming from 11 different countries from all over the world, including China, Germany, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Nigeria, and others. The two-week program offered various courses such as systems and design thinking, sustainable procurement, social/green entrepreneurship, cross-cultural intelligence, international project management, the Unites Nations Systems, etc. These courses were delivered by various professionals who have been working closely with the United Nations agencies in the achievement of the 17 SDGs.  At the end of the program, Ms. Pilapil was awarded as one of the Outstanding Participants for her various contributions to the program such as participating in the daily newsletters, vlogs, talent show and for being a candidate in the Outstanding Participants Public Speech Contest. Ms. Pilapil shared her experiences and said that “It was truly a once in a lifetime experience for me to be part of such an honorable program led by exceptional professionals and participated by many inspiring youth leaders. In those two weeks, I have learned so much about how we, the youth, would be able to make an impact on society even in our own gradual little ways. This experience ignited a fire within me to become a global leader who will ensure that all of us have a future to live in.”  As we say in LPU, “we take the lead” and Ms. Pilapil is just one of the many students in LPU Cavite who has taken their first steps in becoming a global leader that will lead the world into a future filled with hopes and dreams.