The Work-Student Study Program (WSSP) of Central Philippine University (CPU) continues to provide opportunities for the poor yet deserving students to enroll in any tertiary academic program while working in the university. With their coordinator, Prof. Annalie Gilongos, appointed only in 2016, the organization is gearing towards maintaining that goal.
Prof. Gilongos is a BS Nursing graduate of Central Philippine University. She also finished her master’s degree in 2006 in this university. She started working at the university in 2002 as one of the faculty in the College of Nursing. At present, she still serves as a professor to some of the subjects under the BS Nursing course. Aside from teaching, she is also currently the coordinator of National Service Training Program (NSTP), and, in 2016, she was assigned as coordinator of WSSP as well.
Prof. Gilongos said that her first few months handling the organization was challenging for she had to balance her work as faculty in the College of Nursing and, at the same time, serve as the coordinator of NSTP and WSSP. “It was very challenging since I had to balance my work as a faculty in the College of Nursing and at the same time be the WSSP Coordinator—organizing WSSP operations and procedures, following up work students’ progress both in their work and academics, and also providing counseling for those with poor performance,” she shared.
She admitted that at times, she felt mentally and emotionally drained. However, one thing that made her feel good was that she enjoys the time she spends counseling the work students—talking and interacting with them. Such moments help her understand them more. “Despite the challenges, I’m thankful because in return, the responsibility as coordinator also honed me to be a better person,” she added.
In order to develop work students’ skills in work and studies, Prof. Gilongos said, “We will conduct more trainings and seminars for work students to further enhance their skills, knowledge, and attitude and help them to develop professionally.”
As the WSSP coordinator, she stated the things she wanted to instill among the Centralian work students, “Working while studying is more than just a job—it is also a job experience, and from these experiences, they gain mentorship opportunities from their supervisors and co-workers; they also gain understanding of work responsibility and they develop self-confidence, self-awareness, and they get to build a network of contacts.”
She also emphasized the advantages being Centralian work students saying, “They must grab any learning opportunity, gain skills and experience. Take pride for being a working student because they are not only gaining experience that will help them in the future but they are part of this University that values everything they do.”
Lastly, Prof. Gilongos has this advice for work students, “For work students to be successful, they need to be committed and conscientious. They should be committed to their obligations, to work diligently in everything they do and meticulously finish their tasks. They should also be determined—always pray and never give up whatever hardships, trials they may face along the way. Most importantly, they must be accountable for all their actions and tasks assigned to them”.
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