My Life in Mindanao State University, Main Campus, Marawi City: A Home Away from Home

                      

Each one of us has different experiences in life. This experiences whether it is good or bad, inspiring or not will enable us to mold into a better person. Sometimes, through this experience, we change. We change the way we think, we change the way we believe and most of all, we change the way we look forward to our every journey in life. We consider that in every place that we are going to, there will always one thing that we will not forget as part of our experience and our journey in life. 

Like me, studying here in Mindanao State University, Main Campus, Marawi City is such a big opportunity for me. It is not just only for the purpose of studying why I used to be in MSU but also to have experience living in other culture. They have said that Marawi City is a dangerous place but they are wrong. Instead, it is a place where you could meet different group of students that has different cultures. A place wherein you could not experience night life compared to other cities in the country and most especially, a place where in you could see the beauty of our nature. 

If I am not mistaken, it was on the 2^nd week of May, 2010, when I first entered in the campus. During my first day in MSU is not easy for me. I am not familiar with the colleges, the buildings and offices that I should have to go. All the people there were very strange for me. I find it hard to enroll in such a big school wherein you don’t know everything. But I fight my fear. All I think at that time was the chance to be enrolled in the university. I set aside whatever my weaknesses and I have to take risk whatever may happen. I have to sacrifice long hours of standing just to be enrolled. Thank God, I overcome those things. 

I thought it was the last time I would felt the stressed while having my enrolment but it was the first. As time goes by, during my school days, more and more pressure I face. I must have to give time in my academic subjects so that I can pass the subjects. You should take it for granted in all subjects especially when you will be under with strict instructors. Lucky to me, I was not being under with those instructors. But even though I would be under with them, still I wanted to thank and appreciate them because being strict is one way that students will focus more to study and in that way student could learn more. 

My course that time was BS-Mathematics. Yes, I love math, but as time goes by, I thought of shifting to another course. A course that will give me more opportunities in the coming future. Until such time that it came to my mind that I want to engage in business activities. That is the reason why I decided to shift into a business course related. Even though I was on the 3^rd sem of being a BS-Mathematics student, I still shift into BSBA- Entrepreneurial Marketing. In this course, I was already satisfied. This is what I want. Even though my skills was not totally suited to become an entrepreneur, but I knew I will change. I knew I will be motivated to strive harder and to enhance whatever skills that will be needed to be an entrepreneur. 

           

Days, months and years passed by. I didn’t notice that my journey of being a college student comes nearer. I didn’t even noticed that I have lots of experiences, lots of sleepless nights when exams and requirements are coming, lots of skip meals because of busy doing projects and lots of sacrifices and problems when it comes to financial matters. I gained a lot of friends, a friend that understand my situations. A friend that will truly love and treasure me the way I do. Sometimes, I ask myself, is this true? After all these years, I overcome many trials I have encountered in life. I can’t imagine how grateful I am and blessed to have someone to lean on after those feelings of quitting my study because I can’t hold on anymore to the stress, to the pain and to the feeling of being not supported with my family. I know that life is a sacrifice but in the same way, life is also full of decisions. You are still left of the choice with what you are supposed to sacrifice in order to obtain real happiness. One thing that I want to thank for being here in MSU is knowing and accepting God as my savior. It is in this place wherein He mold me to be a God-fearing person and accept Him as my Lord and savior. I am so much blessed accompanying with my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

     

By this time, all I want to do is to enjoy every moment that I am still here in MSU. I don’t want to miss every single day spending time with my friends, classmates and church mates because I cannot spend time with them when time comes that I will leave this university. I know that whatever experiences that I have in the campus will be remembered wherever I go. I enjoy so much living in the Marawi City. I will miss lots of activities that change me the way I am before. I will miss every time we will be having our parade during JEMA Days in the department and Foundation Day in the university. I will miss attending different kind of seminars, and witnessing different kind of activities. But I still had to put in my mind that spite of all these memories; I still had to face everything that waits me in the coming future. I know that I have doubts in myself if I can have all I want in life but I need to have faith and prayer. These maybe invisible but they make all things possible.  I know that my journey in life never ends when I will be graduated. But more challenges and more sacrifices I will have to face. And through these experiences of being a college student, it will give me some guide and some lessons that I will apply in the coming years of my life. I believe that a meaningful life is not being rich, being popular, being highly educated or being perfect. It is about being real, being humble, being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others. It is only then that we could have a full, happy and contented life. As what the book of Bo Sanchez said, “Simplify and Live the Good Life”.

                                                                   

A Seminar on E-commerce & Internet Marketing: Essentials &Strategies done by the Marketing 111 Students

Last September 24, 2014, the Marketing 111 students of the Department of Entrepreneurial Marketing had a Seminar on E-commerce and Internet Marketing Essentials and Strategies. It was being held at the Academic Complex, College of Law, MSU, Marawi City.

 

The said seminar was being organized by the Mktg 111 students of the section LM and some of the active students of the other two sections. This seminar contains different topics like Doing E-business in the ASEAN Community, E-Commerce on the Go: Its Process and Application, Web Advertising through Social Media Marketing and Careers in Digital Media, which were being shared from the four different speakers, namely; Prof. Archie Lemuel Clark Velasco, Mr. Monju Khan, Ms. Charmaine Xy-Zao O. Yape and Ms. Lovette Jam P. Jacosalem respectively.

From the first speaker, I learned the process of setting up an online store. These techniques involve establishing your online identity (BRANDING), building a user friendly website, selecting an ISP to host your site, minimizing the risks of e-commerce, accepting & managing payments and the most important is promoting your site. Aside from that, I also learned the features of the common elements of E-Commerce. These are the searchable catalogs, secure checkout, customer support page and FAQs.

In engaging social media marketing for small business, you must have to consider the strategy of social media marketing. These are the 5C’s, such as, consistency, character, content, connection and communication. These were some of the lessons that I learned from Ms. Charmaine Xy-Za O. Yape. Aside from that, Ms. Lovette Jam shared to us or teaches us on applying digital media to sell and promote products to our desired target markets.

This was such a big opportunity for us especially we are into a business course.  From the four different guest speakers, I have learned different lessons that could help me start my career in establishing online business. I have learned that in order your online business will be effective, we should sell high differentiated products, choose the right domain and the right keyword for your sites. In addition to it, we must also identify our clear marketing goals so that we can figure out what potential customers need to know before buying from your site. Aside from the most exciting part of it is the career in digital media in which it focused not only in how good are you in designing arts but whatever fields you are into will be accepted by this career. Like marketing and advertising, development, management and others field that will be suited in this career.

  

As what Tim Berner- Lee says that “much is to be exploited by marketers if they only see information as a resource”. 

That is why, this seminar is such a big opportunity for us to be more enlightened and gain some information that might be a great help for us by applying those information for us to become a successful entrepreneurs someday.

REDUCE, REDUCE, THE USE OF PLASTIC CELLOPHANE

In today’s generation, there are lots of changes that had happen compared before. We encountered different calamities that strike in our country. Population increases and modern technologies exist. As time goes by, we continually face different changes that will affect to our everyday living. Like as what we had seen today in our surroundings, the usage of plastic cellophane and non-biodegradable materials are being maximized. Due to it, it creates a big problem in our society and the best way to lessen this problem is to begin the practice of reducing the use of plastic cellophane. 

Being one of the supporters in these practices, the Mktg 111 students will have to encourage or promote the use of plastic ware in buying foods in some establishments located within MSU-Main Campus, Marawi City. In this way, we can help reduce plastic cellophane that can lead to pollution. Having this kind of activity is not burden for us in the since that owners of that establishments also cooperate with us. They also loved this idea because they could lessen the expenses with regards to the buying of plastics. This is one way that we can help reduce the use of plastic cellophane. And with these practices, people would be aware and be conscious with regards of using it. 

As we have known that usage of plastics have become increased.  Just like for the MSUans, wherein they have the habits of using plastic cellophane as the gloves during meal time or even use this plastic cellophane as their plates. By this, it will continually be the habits of the people. But then, this habit  will be lessen if each one of us have to cooperate. Each one of us should be responsible in reducing the use of plastics. 

Let us be united. Let us make it hand in hand. We should help conserve our mother earth. And let us begin it now!!!