Sebastian “Seb” dela Fuente is a second-year nursing student running for the secretary position. He has served as the Nursing Central Board of Students’ (NCBS) executive coordinator (EC) to the current secretary Gabrielle Boc. In an interview with the UST The Nursing Journal, he shared his reasons for running and his plans and goals for the student body.
Personal reasons for running
When asked for his reason for running, he said that his work ethic of working in a methodical-analytical approach to derive potential solutions is suitable for a secretary position. He stated that having experienced being an EC to the secretary gives him a gist of a secretary’s roles and responsibilities. Moreover, he wanted to grab the opportunity to enjoy and have a sense of accomplishment, "You get to meet other people, and it’s an opportunity to grow. You can explore other points of view and relate, connect, empathize with those of the same passions as you.”
Why run with BISIG?
dela Fuente is a member of BISIG - Binuklod ng Isip, Sipag at Galing, a political party. According to him, this will guide him as to what approaches he should pursue. His experience under BISIG has given him enjoyable learning experiences and trainings that allowed him to connect with new people who had helped him throughout the journey.
Inspirations in leadership
For Seb, his grandfather is one of his role models. He shared that his grandfather would always be there to help him whenever he had a problem. When no one was there to care for him, his grandfather traveled the seas to be with him. He realized that he wanted to be like his grandfather, whom anyone could depend on. “Because as a leader, I want to be someone that you can rely on… I don’t want to be someone you’re afraid of. I want to be someone you can approach and enjoy working with.”
Attributes a leader should have
Passion, initiative, communication, and empathy. One must be passionate about being a leader so he would enjoy and do a good job. Because being a leader must be something that you want to do for it to be fulfilling for you. Another is to communicate and reach out to others and have the initiative to start something new and true. “Because of this, communication and initiating action should be established to make a safe space for everyone to be vocal and enjoyable to work with one another.” This allows everyone to work together towards the same goal. Also, being empathic enables one to understand and relate with others, and to be an effective leader, one must learn how to empathize to create a safe environment for everyone. He added that he wishes to improve on this aspect himself and express his struggles as well, “If you want them to be able to express their struggles, you have to be able to express yours as well.”
General goals for the student body
It cannot be denied that strained eyes and sleepless nights have filled everyone’s online learning experiences. Should dela Fuente be the next NCBS Secretary, he would like to continue making the students’ learning experience more enjoyable. “I plan on improving student-teacher interactions in the online setup despite the challenges that these come with,” he added.
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