My enriching experience in PBSP

Corporate Affairs intern Nina Laenen orients UST students about PBSP’s projects at the NGO Fair

I study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and decided to take one trimester off to use the knowledge I gained from my International Business Administration course to support a culture in need. Through the non-profit student organization AIESEC (Association Internationale des étudiants en sciences économiques et commerciales or International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences), I learned about Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). 

AIESEC provides a platform to connect students from all over the world with international companies and organizations and gives them the opportunity to take up new exciting challenges. PBSP is one of the organizations that accept international students.

Why did I decide to go to the Philippines? First of all, I enjoy exploring the world. This time around, I decided to visit the other side of the world. Personally, I never even considered visiting the Philippines in the beginning because I don’t know much about its culture as well as its political and economic backgrounds. All I knew was that many people were living in poverty and that there was corruption. But after doing some research about the Philippines, I knew I needed to see the country which is one of the happiest nations in the world and also one of the poorest.

PBSP matched my preferences in terms of its field of operations and mission. During my time at PBSP, I worked on the communication strategy of the Corporate Affairs Department. However, I did not stay the entire time in their office in Intramuros. The Mindanao Membership Meeting of the NGO was held in Davao, where I had the chance to meet President Benigno Aquino III and many other CEOs of large companies.

I also represented PBSP in a NGO fair at the University of Santo Tomas. More importantly, I was lucky to be part of the beginning of the fiscal year 2014-2015. The working atmosphere at PBSP is relaxed and friendly. My co-workers are very hospitable. They are always open to ideas and recommendations. When I interviewed a few managers in PBSP as part of my tasks, I got a better impression of the organization’s culture and history. It was a pleasure to talk to the managers who’ve been working for the NGO for 10 years or more. From my conversations with them, I understood why it is important to keep on taking new challenges in order to strengthen the nation.

Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to work with other departments to acquire new skills. Nevertheless, I hope that my efforts added value to the operations of PBSP and I wish every employee the best for the new fiscal year.