In celebration of the National Higher Education Day, Mabalacat City College, in collaboration with Education USA and Lone Star Community College, Texas, USA, held a Virtual Orientation on Education and Partnership Opportunities with the Community Colleges of USA last May 18, 2021.
The College President of the Mabalacat City College, Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong, shared this message:
“You see, there are so many things that can divide us, but there are also so many things that can unite us. And why should we choose the former when we are given the choice or opportunity to better understand the world we are living in? Mabalacat City College chooses the path of understanding, so we embark on internationalization. Oftentimes this kind of activity is only for state and private universities, probably because of fear that community colleges have little to offer. However, as we look closely, community colleges actually have so much to offer in understanding the world. Community colleges or local colleges as we refer to them in the Philippines are rich venues of grassroots information on almost anything on social sciences and developmental studies, genuinely preserved culture that dates back many, many centuries ago, backyard industries that can inspire great business ideas and so much more.
Those things are what brought us here today. We have so much to share and learn from each other. Apart from that, this world had suffered enough. Every day we hear news on oppression, inequality, and about victims of war, terrorism, or human rights violations. These are products of misunderstanding that one idea is superior to others. Through international exchanges, we teach our students the appreciation to understand the world from many voices and to learn that diversity is in fact a set of different truths which are equally valid just like their own truth at home. If we can do this together, then perhaps, it will be a better and a kinder world for the next generation because the students we teach today shall lead them.”
Among the guest speakers present were Ms. Christine Grace Catindig, a Fulbright Awardee of the Philippines and the US Department cohort; Ms. Perzen Akolawala, Director of International Programs of Lone Star College; and Mr. Matt Keener, the Cultural Attaché of the US Embassy in Manila.
