Alumni Impact: Kiana Gualberto
Alumni Impact is a social media campaign that recognizes the excellent work being done by FIUTS alumni all around the world. This week, meet Kiana!
Kiana Gualberto (right), Philippines native and 2016 alumni of the Youth Leadership Program on Oceans. Here, she takes part in Green CollectiV, a campaign to provide eco-friendly products in local markets.
My name is Kiana Gualberto. I’m 20 years old from the Philippines. I am currently a freshman at the University of the Philippines taking up BA Communication Arts. In March 2016, I participated in the Youth Leadership Program on our Ocean, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It was a 3-week program based in the U.S. that focused on educating the young leaders of Southeast Asia on the importance of a clean ocean, preservation of the marine ecosystems, and youth leadership.
Three weeks may be short but many things happened in that short amount of time. We lived in a different state each week - Nevada, Seattle and DC (although technically, DC is not a state). We had a great time in Seattle, where we were welcomed by FIUTS. We went to lots of places like Pike Place Market and Space Needle. But before we go to these places, we’d meet up at the FIUTS office in the University of Washington. We’d have our morning meetings, have a few discussions, and play some ice breakers. We had a great time with our host families. And because our host mother, Liz introduced rice mixed with salmon to us, I grew this love for salmon since. We also went to Bainbridge Island where they showed us how they harvest oysters.
Kiana (right) taking part in Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour while visiting Seattle as part of Youth Leadership Program on Oceans in March 2016.
But my most favorite was when we went to the Seattle Aquarium, met the youth volunteers, observed planktons through the microscope, had an exclusive tour around the aquarium and experienced doing what volunteers do in the aquarium. The youth volunteers lent us their blue jackets and taught us what to tell to the tourists about the animals we were stationed to. I remember myself explaining to a little girl what could happen to birds if they eat plastic trash which birds commonly mistake for a worm. It was very fulfilling and unforgettable experience for me.
During the last week of the program we went to DC. We watched NBA, went to the Lincoln Memorial, learned about MLK, and gave our "I have a dream" speeches in the same place where MLK delivered his. We also met the people from the State Department. After that, we presented our project proposal to our fellow exchange students.
Upon returning to our respective countries, we were expected to share and apply what we’ve learned through implementing our own projects. My project was entitled: “Kay Gin Ano Ko Gud Ikaw?” (What did I really do to you?). It was a photography workshop and exhibit rooted on the concept of marine life preservation. The workshop was held in October 8-9, 2016. Few weeks after, a photo exhibit followed with an aim to give educational awareness to the youth in my community through photography.
Kiana (pictured) with the exhibit of “Kay Gin Ano Ko Gud Ikaw” What did I really do to you? in October 2016.
But the journey to implementing my project wasn't easy. I was this 16-year old girl trying to implement an ambitious project. First of all, it wasn't funded so I had to send letters to politicians, an oil company, government offices asking them for financial help. And each time I come to their office, a series of doubts enter in my mind. I would keep asking myself "why would a politician or a company or a government office invest their money on a 16-year old girl?". I couldn't even answer that myself. Some of those that I sent letters to didn't even reply or notify me that they've received the letter.
And fortunately, like an answered prayer, a government office agreed to sponsor the whole project. I am grateful for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, a Philippine government office who agreed to finance my project. I am also grateful to my Filipina adult mentor in the YLPO, ma’am Anna Oposa whom I always turned to for advices and whenever I just felt incapable for my project. Ma’am Anna helped me a lot especially with the communication letters. She majored in English studies so when I was done writing letters for the project, I would email them to her so she can edit them.
Kiana (pictured) with the workshop of “Kay Gin Ano Ko Gud Ikaw” What did I really do to you? in October 2016.
The struggle to implement my project wasn’t just financially but mentally as well. Weeks before my project date, I dreamt of my project failing. Even the day of the project itself, I encountered a few lapses. The speaker for the talk on photography backed out last minute. Good thing I was still able to encourage him to push through. Also, we were expecting 20 participants but only 13 of them showed up. I was fine and thankful for the 13 participants because I knew that it wasn’t the number that mattered but the impact that the workshop gave to each of the 13 participants.
Today, some of the participants has continued practicing photography. Two of them are hired every now and then to be photographers at parties and events. But most of all, the participants were educated on marine conservation and are now conscious in their actions that may affect the environment. I remember at the end of the workshop my classmate who helped with the project said to me “thank you Kians, I learned a lot, now I love sharks”.
Student participants learn from guest speaker at “Kay Gin Ano Ko Gud Ikaw” What did I really do to you? in October 2016.
Some time, in 2016, ma’am Anna invited us to a SEA Camp Summit, a project of Save Philippine Seas (SPS) and the U.S. Embassy Manila. It was a week-long event of talks and activities on preserving marine life especially in the Philippine seas. It was also in this event where we met the US Secretary of State, John Kerry. He told us how he shared the same advocacy being someone who worked in the marines before.
Kiana (pictured with group) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the SEA Camp Summit.
The SEA Camp Summit gathered 30 youth leaders in the Philippines who has been remarkable in their work for marine preservation in the country. Meeting them inspired me so much that it added fuel to my burning desire for our shared advocacy.
Kiana (right) speaking at the SEA Camp Summit .
In 2018, I became part of a local enterprise called "Green CollectiV". It's led by a professor in my University who has also participate in a US State Department sponsored exchange program in the US. Green CollectiV aims to provide eco-friendly products in the local market so people in our community could finally have a choice that is less harmful to the environment.
All these endeavors and eco-friendly actions started when I was 16, when I participated in the Youth Leadership Program on Oceans. But prior to that I was uninformed and uneducated about the issues the environment is facing. What I did on a daily basis were never really sensitive on its impact to the environment. Fortunately, I was informed. But what about those who aren't? I strongly agree with Nelson Mandela when he said that "Education is the most powerful weapon that we can use to change the world".
There is a need for us, who cares and shares the same passion for the environment, to inform those who do not know, to inspire those who doesn't care. We might overlook the power of knowledge but truly there is a need for us to educate people on the environment and what we can do to conserve nature.
Kiana (right) speaking at Green CollectiV event in 2018.
Although it is actually me who doubts myself the most for being young for such a huge responsibility. All those hardships that I went through like braving to the unknown and fighting the anxieties and overthinking has led me to a realization. That we, the youth have this energy that is so passionate that we can do anything. And the passions that we have, that burning desire to do something, isn’t just there for us to feel. It is there for us to act upon.
When I was in the process of implementing my project, my inspiration for pushing through no matter what was my passion for Kankabato Bay. It’s the bay right next to our city that has been the major source for oxygen, food and livelihood for us. Ever since I was young, Kankabato bay has always been facing threats with the rise of marine debris and chemicals thrown in it by residents living nearby. And I guess that’s also the reason why the Kankabato bay is unappreciated. And that is why I did what I did and will continue to do. Because if I grew up being used to a polluted Kankabato bay, I definitely do not want to die knowing it still is.
The Youth Leadership Program on Oceans is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government, administered by FIUTS (Foundation for International Understanding Through Students) through a partnership with World Learning.
Guest posts on the FIUTS blog represent the experiences and views of individual writers. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FIUTS or any organizations or institutions affiliated with our programs.