𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐫. 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐬: “𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐨!”

The College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (CEAT) Week marked its opening with a hybrid seminar centered on the theme: “Coping with Academic Pressures”, held at the NWU International House and CEAT AVR on March 30, 2023. The said event was spearheaded by the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology Student Organization (CEATSO).

Dr. Jennifer Del Amen, CEAT Dean, spoke about the struggles of the education system during the pandemic where the CEAT students remained stagnant and imprisoned in their homes. She believed that the psychological and emotional effects of the pandemic caused great impacts on the students in the post-pandemic era, especially in their level of anxiety.

“Through this seminar, it is timely for all of us to reflect on how to cope with academic pressures. There are main sources of pressures in which it may land of affect into an academic performance being a student,” she stated.

Engr. Mildred Ramos, the Civil Engineering department head and the keynote speaker, led the talks about understanding and managing academic stress, especially for the CEAT students. She highlighted the types of stress, including its causes and effects on the students.

“Something that college students commonly experience is pressure to succeed in their academics. It is essential to find positive approaches to academic stress management,” she elaborated.

In addition, Engr. Ramos addressed the topic of coping with academic stress by emphasizing self-care techniques. She provided some activities which made the students aware of their stress and imparted empowering inspirational phrases to the students.

Moreover, Ar. Analiza Arcangel, CEATSO adviser, and Architecture department head expressed her gratitude to the organizers, faculty and staff, and to the students for their active participation in the seminar.

During an interview, Ms. Marsh Clooney Agcaoili, CEATSO Vice President Internal, voiced her thoughts about the importance of the conducted seminar. According to her, “We can’t dispute the fact that academics can push us to stress and problems that can lead us to anxiety and depression.”

“So aside from celebrating our CEAT week, we see to it that we need to come up with an activity that can help our fellow students in handling stress and pressures. Having this kind of seminar can ignite our characteristic as ‘maCEATapang’ in facing problems in life,” she added.