Letran's TED TALK features the world's renowned speakers who share their experiences in their chosen careers

John Paul Vidal

SATURDAY, April 30, 2022 - The Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s TED TALK featuring the world’s renowned speakers shared their experiences and insights on their own selected categories or careers for the students and members of the Letran community via Facebook Livestream and Zoom Conference.

Ms. Kate Hancock, the first speaker, is a social-entrepreneur and an international speaker, built four successful businesses in 10 years time, owner of the hotel “Bintana sa Paraiso” which is known as one of the top hotels and resorts in the Philippines, presented her ideas on the ever changing and improving technology and the internet.

“The internet is a source of infinite possibilities,” she quoted as she explained how people can discover more in the internet and take advantage of it in order to gain or create a source of income or money. Things like services and programs that will be able to help others yet gain income out of it. How students are able to use the internet and the infinite possibilities that revolve around it. Ms. Kate ended her discussion by giving her recommendations on how the audience can use the metaverse or internet to their advantage.

On the other hand, the second speaker is Dr. Aimee Lynn Dupo. She is a professor at the University of the Philippines and a UP Scientist III at the Institute of Biological Sciences College of Arts and Sciences in the University of the Philippines Los Banos. She is also the curator at UP Los Banos Museum of Natural History with the Outstanding Young Scientist Award of 2015.

She presented the idea of bugs and insects to the audiences and how they have an irrational fear of such bugs. She explained how bugs are connected to people through their behavior, language, literature, music and arts, folklore and religion and even recreation. She gave examples of different bugs and how they are related to the people and the behavior that these bugs show similarly to us humans. Dr. Aimee also gave folklores and other interesting recreations of different cultures that were derived from the actions of bugs. She, too, stated that bugs are more afraid of us than we are afraid of them. It is quite illogical to fear these little creatures as we humans are much more destructive and scarier than them

The third speaker, Ms. Joji Pantoja, is a woman entrepreneur, honorary of the Oslo Business for Peace Award in 2020, Business Awardee on the Best Flagship Initiative and Best Social Enterprise in 2019, an ASEAN Business Awardee, and an Excellent MSME Corporate Social Responsibility in 2018. She tackled the practice of social inclusion and culture of peace, the similarities of us humans, as human beings.

“Sino ka kapag wala kang kausap? Sino ka?” she asked the audiences in order to awaken their interest in themselves, what they have and what they are. She explained how they as humans have things to do and things to want, they are beings that have purposes for their lives. She also stated that this thinking and mindset will give us a better view in life and a more positive outcome into embracing the struggles of life. Moreover, being in touch and connected to the community, to be with fellow human beings, to be with nature, to be with animals, to be with everything that is in the environment. Before ending her discussion she summarized her ideas and points that she wanted to share with the audiences.

Dr. Renz Christian Argao, the fourth and last speaker, is the President and Chief Executive of Argyle Health Incorporated. He is also a registered Psychologist and Psychometrician and an internationally certified expert in Psychotrauma, and a diplomat from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.

He started his discourse by pointing out the modern ideas of the world about peace and the roles of the youth. In fact, youth are equal constituents who can and must be engaged on a level platform as another interest group. In discussion on peace building, he stated that the public needs to listen to the perspective of the youth. He also pointed out how the youth were able to help and reach out to the most vulnerable people in order to save them from the different crises that the world is facing. There are many things that the youth can do. It is in their hands to create the future. He ended his discussion with a very remarkable set of ideas and recommendations for the students in order to create a better future.

To formally end the event, the emcee gave his thanks to the audiences and everyone that participated in the said conference, followed by the fellow organizations that helped in making the event possible. The event closed with the singing of the Colegio’s Hymn, the event successfully ended.

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