First-ever QuiKo conducted in preparation for PH Student Quill 2024, participants react

Photo from UST CASA's Official Facebook Page

The very first QuiKo, an event workshop that helped prepare CASAns for the upcoming Philippine Student Quill 2024, was conducted last month, February 12, at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P Building. 

Following the conclusion of QuiKo, some participants were asked about their experiences during and after the event.

Preparation for Quill 2024

Photo by Alyssa Moira Gabriel

Fatima Baduria, a student-participant from 4COM2, said that QuiKo equipped them well enough to answer complex questions that Quill may ask them. According to her, Quill may give questions that may seem easy at first but are, as a matter of fact, complex to deal with. 

“‘Yung QuiKo, with the help of Sir Nicky, ang dami naming nalaman na meron palang better way of answering those questions.” said Baduria. 

On the other hand, Delscy Marrie Delana from 4COM1 said that QuiKo guided them in formulating a quality Quill plan. Moreover, Delana highlighted the significance of being the representatives of the CASA community and the university itself.  Asst. Prof. Jose Arsenio Salandanan, M.S., mentor of this year’s Quill participants, was again commended for sharing his expertise with them. 

“Not only was it a workshop to prepare us from how to create a Quill plan and all, but it also instilled motivation to us—motivation to represent CASA and UST as a whole.” Delana stated.

Similar to what Delana stated, Ranch M. Ramas, the Officer-In-Charge and a participant of QuiKo said that the event gave him a refresher on how to properly do a Quill plan since the Quill format is not taught within the academic setting. 

“The event gave me a refresher and a briefer on how to do this Quill plan properly and how to execute it with excellence.” Ramas stated 

 

Learnings that struck them

Photo by Alyssa Moira Gabriel

When asked about the learnings that positively impacted them, the selected participants described their realizations and the benefits of the event workshop to their overall skills as communication scholars.

Baduria said that they could garner practical knowledge through the lectures shared to them. 

“It really helped me to look at things in a different way. Natulungan ako no’n to really think about how I plan things na parang you don’t just do things, parang pinapalalim mo siya.” highlighted Baduria.

Meanwhile, Delscy Delana learned about the importance of being precise since, according to Sir Nicky, due to the panelists’ professional backgrounds, they are expected to be particular in judging. Since Delscy is planning to pursue a career in the marketing industry, she believes that mastering the art of making a communication plan can help her succeed in the industry. 

“You have to think outside the box,” said Ramas who shared with us his key takeaway from the event. He learned the importance of focusing on formulating the communication Quill plan based on practical and theoretical wisdom. 

“‘Yun kasi ‘yung parang pinaka essence ng QuiKo. We, UST CASA, challenge the students to think beyond what is taught within the four corners of the classroom. It really showcases how we redefine creativity and versatility in the association.”  Ramas said.

Championing Excellence Through QuiKo

As a former participant of the Philippine Student Quill last year, Baduria believes that QuiKo allowed her to once again showcase her skills and champion excellence by joining the said competition for the second time.

Delana commended CASA’s utmost support to them through this event workshop. According to her, the student association’s support pushes her to champion her excellence confidently.

“Realizing that your student organization supports you, I would say that it really pushes you to be more excellent or to be more competent so that all of these efforts can be repaid, hopefully, with recognitions and awards.” emphasized Delana.

On the same page, Ramas believes that the event champions excellence because in Quill, outputs are considered as those of the industry-leveled works since these are all evaluated by professionals and experts. 

Significance of QuiKo to CASA

Photo by Alyssa Moira Gabriel

Basing on her past experience, Fatima Baduria mentioned that the outputs of CASA students from the past years are scarcely recognized; however, through QuiKo, CASAns now become more exposed in the community and their works and efforts are now becoming more recognized.

Meanwhile, Delana finds QuiKo as an event that should continue in the coming years because for her, it is useful both in the academic context and once you apply for jobs. 

Recommendations

Addressing the improvements needed to implement QuiKo in the upcoming years, both Baduria and Delana suggested that the event must include a larger CASA student population. Moreover, Delana suggested that the workshop should last for a couple of days to have an in-depth understanding of how to make a quality quill plan. 

Best of luck to all our Quill participants!