By Anjela Ferry

By Noriko Yamamoto

Grade 11 students from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HumSS) strand of the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) had their Career Exploration (CarEx) session on Thursday, February 19, at Leong Hall.

Organized by the Office of Guidance and Counseling (OCG), the event carried the theme, “Patuloy sa Paghayo: Itaguyod ang Pangarap at Maglingkod Nang May Puso.”

Dr. Gail Galang, a licensed psychologist and Miriam College professor, introduced psychology as the study of behavior and patterns.

“Psychologists are trained to look at patterns, and so are able to predict one’s behavior,” she stated, elaborating on the four goals of psychology — to describe, explain, predict, and change behavior.

Galang outlined career options in psychology, including teaching, research, law, clinical practice, and medicine.

She also discussed the curriculum, covering personality theories, developmental psychology, statistics, biological psychology, experimental psychology, and counseling.

Furthermore, she differentiated Bachelor in Science (BS) and Arts Bachelor (AB) in Psychology, noting that BS requires more subjects, while AB is sufficient for clinical psychology.

Galang also clarified distinctions among psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy, stressing that only psychiatrists can prescribe medication.

She then concluded with a demonstration of the “Tapping Technique,” a stress-reduction method using body meridians.

The second speaker, Ma’am Maria Salve Ibañez, journalist and financial educator known as the “Financial Beshie ng Bayan,” shared her experiences during the People Power Revolution.

She recalled relying on newspapers, radio, and television for updates, noting the rise of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN News Channel during that period.

Ibañez emphasized that while information today spreads quickly through phones, traditional media remains the “soul of society.”

She also highlighted the importance of authenticity, integrity, and rejecting offers to write biased reports, reminding students that journalism requires curiosity, grit, and meticulous fact-checking.

“Iba na ang mundo ngayon,” she said, explaining that sources of information have evolved since then.

Ibañez also noted that “traditional media is dying because it seems that no one needs them anymore.” 

“There is no more need for big organizations to bring information to you as information can easily become viral through the phone,” she added.

The third speaker, Hon. Lorenz R. Defensor, presented the Philippine Constitution and reminded students of their rights.

He advised students to balance independence with parental guidance and to surround themselves with the right peers.

“Your peers and the people around you help determine where you will go … Choose the right people to surround yourself with,” he stated.

Defensor also stressed the importance of character, resilience, and turning failure into growth, saying that it is important to “always have that strength or character to overcome failure, and to always make sure that your failure becomes an opportunity for you to grow.”

“Every career is a notable profession as long as you respect it,” he reminded before concluding his talk.

Afterward, closing remarks were delivered by Mr. Alex Manuel, coordinator of the OCG.

Other strands conducted their respective CarEx sessions earlier in the school year: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on January 14, General Academics (GA) on January 16, and Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) on January 21.