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Dept. of English launches first anthology on Women鈥檚 Essays, awards 2024 Essay Contest winners

by Kassandra Buenafe, OfCom | Dec 04 2024

Consistent in their goal to inspire the youth to write about the lived realities of women and convey mechanisms to address pressing issues, the Department of English of MSU-IIT, with support from the Gender and Development Resource Center, launched the first-ever anthology of the winning essays of the annual Essay Writing Contest on Women which began in 2018. 

Held at the MSU-IIT Mini Theatre on December 4, 2024, the launching of the book entitled, “Harvesting the Gains: A Collection of Essays on Women by Senior High School and University Students” was attended by MSU-IIT students, teachers, and staff along with Senior High School students and their coaches from Iligan City for the awarding of winners of the 2024 Essay Writing Contest on Women which was done on August 31, 2024 at the 5th floor of CASS New Building.

Former MSU-IIT Chancellor, Professor Emeritus, Dr. Sukarno Tanggol also attended the event, witnessing the competition’s development as its inception can be attributed to his administration. 

Dr. Irish Mae Dalona, chairperson of the Department of English, opened the program with an inspiring message, reminding everyone of the significance of holding spaces for creative writing as a tool to make a change. 

“The stories in the essay that you will read from this anthology are like seeds — seeds that are planted by courage, nurtured by resilience, and watered by the unyielding hope for change in our society,” Dr. Dalona said. 

The works of the winners from 2018 to 2022 that were compiled in the book were given a comprehensive analysis with the presentation of the plenary speaker, Dr. Jocelyn Pinzon, former Acting Dean of the College of Communication, Art and Design, University of the Philippines-Cebu. In her talk, she approached the texts chronologically: pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic. 

She expressed her amusement and appreciation for the writing pieces, noting that despite the writers' young ages, they demonstrated a strong intensity to express their thoughts and a well-formed understanding of the status of women.

“I like to think that the young writers entered the competition not only to exercise their competitive spirit and gain recognition but to reveal their positions about gender inequality, specifically about women and society, and consequently be heard,” Dr. Pinzon remarked. 

The book’s editor and project leader, Dr. Nelia G. Balgoa, shared her gratitude to the team behind the collective success of this five-years-in-the-making anthology. She acknowledged the dedication of everyone involved, from the writers to the organizers, in bringing this meaningful project to fruition. Dr. Balgoa also expressed her enthusiasm for the continuation of the Essay Writing Competition, emphasizing its role in fostering creativity and critical thinking among students.

Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan, in his speech, reaffirmed his commitment to continue funding this project. “This anthology comes at the most relevant time, to punctuate a movement in the university parallel to the revolutions in thought and question how we assign value within existing social structures,” he said. 

After the responses given by the Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, Dr. Nancy Echavez, MSU-IIT GAD focal person, Asst. Prof. Yasmira R. Moner, and this writer who was a participant in the first batch of the competition, the awarding followed. 

The first place was awarded to Sittie Nhorjael D. Nasser and the second place to Gabrielle Florence R. Mallorca, both from the MSU-IIT Integrated Development School (IDS) and the third place to Thrixie Avril R. Orbe from Iligan City East National High School, respectively. 

Dr. Ivie Esteban, one of the project members, closed the event with enthusiasm and shared her retrospection on how far the project has come now that it has successfully published its first anthology. 

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