LPU paved the way for me when I was chosen as one of the University representatives for the oral research presentation competition of the Philippine Association of Schools of Medical Technology and Public Health (PASMETH) and the Philippine Society of Medical Technology Students. Through a variety of competitions, we, medical technology students from different schools from all over the country had the chance to showcase the talents and potentials behind all our eye bags due to sleepless nights. I was chosen and was blessed even more for having bestowed upon me the honor of being the first place winner in the PASMETH-PHISMETS Regional (NCR-Southern Luzon) Student Assembly and grand champion in the PASMETH-PHISMETS National Student Assembly. If not for my thesis advisers, Dr. Carina R. Magbojos and Mr. Oliver Shane Dumaoal, who have shared with us their expertise in research, I will not be able to reassure myself that everything’s going to be alright. I may have
been informed a couple of weeks before the Regional Assembly, but as a medical technology intern expected to report on hospital duties every day, be it an eight – or sixteen-hour duty, I had to deal with the fact that I only had one day to prepare for all my re-readings and PowerPoint presentations. It was when I became a superwoman. On top of the exciting emotion, there lies within me a punch of adrenaline. There was an elevation of stress hormones inside me, I guess. Literally, my teeth were chattering and my knees trembling on the very day of the contest. I am not used to speaking in front of a crowd and the thought of defending our thesis in front of a panel of experts gave me tachycardia (rapid heart rate) but my advisers and professors wished me luck, that moment I knew that they believed in me.
And the rest was history, the success of our study entitled “Anti-angiogenic effect of Psidium guajava Linn. Crude saponin extract on ex ovo chick chorioallantoic membrane assay” is not possible if not for the dedication and commitment of my group mates. Together, we have shared much of the struggles, efforts, learning and experiences to build a dream that was inked on paper. The College of Allied Medical Professions pushed us beyond our limits. Even if we were about to give up, they held our hands throughout this journey.
My experience was the greatest accomplishment an undergraduate researcher can achieve and the Lord God showered us with even more. Journeys never end, they only pause and play.
“Buti na lang nag Lyceum ako!”
– PATRICIA MAE UY MACALALAD
Grand Champion, 2015 National PASMETH-PHISMETS Research Presentation
Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science
College of Allied Medical Professions
