By Fonz Bautista

By Alexia Bangayan

The Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Council conducted “STEM Forward: Career Exploration” in collaboration with the Council of Student Organizations (CSO) Math and Applied Sciences District (MASD) on Wednesday, April 8.

The event featured various talks and activities in various rooms of the Main Building, aimed at guiding students in their future academic and career paths.

STEM Forward

In collaboration with the Ateneo Biology Organization – Senior High School (BOx-SHS) and the Pre-Medical Society of the ASHS (PMSA-SHS), ‘‘Hawak Mo ang HEARTbeat?!?!’’ was held in the Biology Laboratory as a single-session activity.

During the session, participants dissected pig hearts and explored its parts in relation to concepts about surgery, cardiology, and anatomy.

Meanwhile, the  Psychology Society of the ASHS (Psyche-SHS) conducted “Psyn of the Times” in Room 211.

The talk featured Julia Krista Villadiego, a graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and a data science scholar of the FTW Foundation.

She discussed her experiences in psychology and tackled the idea of finding the purpose in life through passion, values, talents, and skills.

The session also presented the short film “Negative Space,” followed by a short activity where participants collaborated and discussed possible decisions and solutions, as well as to reflect on themselves

She concluded by stating, “At the end of the day, what we should know is our true identity — we come from heaven, we are children of God,” and encouraging the participants to “bring heaven wherever they go.”

“RoboCars,” was also held at Computer Laboratory 3 of the Formation and Learning Center (FLC), spearheaded by the Engineering and Innovation Society of Ateneo (EISA), Programming Varsity (ProgVar), and Math Organization.

The activity introduced the participants to basic coding and RoboCars control concepts through guided applications connected to real-world scenarios.

STEMore

The STEMore segment consisted of two sessions led by Grade 12 students, who shared their experiences in applying to various universities.

The sessions covered the application process, requirements, planning and preparation strategies, coverage and components, general tips, and personal assessments of subject difficulty.

The first session featured Caitilin Tiggangay on the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT), Gelo Lim on the University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET), and Miel Nabuab on international applications through Common App — a platform used to apply to multiple universities abroad.

The second session featured Cammie Tirona on the Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET), Ashley Yumul on the De La Salle College Admission Test (DCAT), and Jorrel Fernandez on international applications.

Speakers in both sessions emphasized the importance of consistent preparation and avoiding cramming during the application and review process.