ARDS scholars seek support from each other in LRC’s Kumustahan session

Ten UPLB Agricultural and Rural Development Scholars (ARDS) reconnected and sought support from each other in the Kumustahan session organized by the Learning Resource Center (LRC) on February 17, 2024, at the LRC Training Room.

The Kumustahan session, which is held every semester, allowed the ARDS scholars to check on each other’s well-being and support each other’s growth through meaningful individual and team activities.

Participants took a personality test, exchanged messages and words of affirmation of each other’s strengths, identified areas for improvement, and discovered the value of effective communication.

Sophia Adriano, an agricultural and applied economics student and president of the UPLB Society of Agricultural and Rural Development Scholarship Society (ARDSS), said the Kumustahan session emphasized important life skills and lessons one should learn.

“I have a lot to learn sa mga kasama ko, on how I communicate, on how I treat others… ‘yung mga ganong social skills, tsaka empathy. Like hindi lang din dapat ako masyadong by the book,” she shared.

Luisa Kem De Guzman, a forestry student and ARDSS vice president, compared the Kumustahan to a “therapy session kung saan kahit papaano, may napagsasabihan ako ng aking mga struggles sa buhay.”

“It is a safe space [where] we were given advice that helps us overcome our struggles. Aside from my room, sa Kumustahan lang ako napapaiyak nang todo,” she shared. 

Facilitated by Sheryl Edd P. Hermosa-Ebron, ARDS coordinator, the event also allowed scholars to review their ARDS commitment to uphold the legacy and integrity of the scholarship program and foster a deeper relationship among ARDSS residents and new members.

The ARDS program has provided financial assistance and learning opportunities to intellectually deserving students from rural low-income families since its inception under Presidential Decree No. 1209 in 1977. It provides a stipend, book, transportation, medical, and thesis allowances.

LRC recently organized ARDS-exclusive seminar workshops on topics such as academic writing in “The Write Stuff” and self-help strategies and mindfulness techniques in “Calm the Chaos.”

LRC will also conduct a leadership and development workshop for ARDS called “B.I.N.H.I: Bridging Innovation, Nurturing Hearts, Inspiring Change.”