NAVARRO, BEA CZARINA B.

This essay will dwell upon my educational background and how this program will
help me in my chosen career or path. The first part introduces who I am as a person.
Section 2 will revolve around my younger days during elementary and high school. The
third part will be about my life as a UP student and how it has molded me into the person
that I am now. Lastly, I will discuss why I am very interested in this program and how it
can help in my chosen career or path.

I. Introduction

My name is Bea Czarina Navarro and I am a bona fide graduating student of the
University of the Philippines Diliman taking up a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Eversince I am young, I have been too ambitious in life and gradually, as I grow up, I try
my best to reach for my dreams. In some, I have been successful; while in others, I have
not. But still I do not give up in striving for honor and excellence because that’s what
makes up the brand of a student in the University of the Philippines Diliman.

II. Elementary and High School Educational Background

During my elementary days, I strived hard to be on top and I delivered. I was

consistently the first honor in my class and I also joined extra-curricular activities and
competitions in and out of school in order to hone my talents and skills. In 2008, I
graduated as the batch Valedictorian at Colegio de Santa Philomena and received awards
such as the Speech Power Award, Outstanding Girl Scout Award and others.

I attended Holy Spirit Academy of Malolos as my secondary school. Even though

it was a new environment for me and the number of my batchmates there was a lot
greater than before, I did not hesitate to do my best in order to fulfill my goals. This time,
I joined competitions outside school such as the MTAP Math Challenge, Division and
Regional Schools Press Conference Copyreading and Headline Writing Competition,
Malolos City Private Schools Association Essay-writing Competition, and Division
Science Fair Physics Competition. I also graduated as the batch Valedictorian in high
school and received several awards such as Excellence in Math, Excellence in Science,
CAT Leadership Award, Best in Thesis Award, Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado Award and
others.

III. College Educational Background

As a student of the Political Science Department at the University of the

Philippines Diliman, there are a multitude of required courses that I already took that I
believe are related to the program. These are Econ 100.1, Econ 100.2, Econ 190.1, Econ
190.2, Polsc 180, Polsc 185, Polsc 195, Polsc 178 and Polsc 170. These courses I listed
above are mostly on political and economic affairs of different countries over the world.
Econ 100.1 is mainly about macroeconomic theories while Econ 100.2 on
microeconomic theories. Econ 190.1 is about international trade. On the other hand, Econ
190.2 talks about banking, money and finance.

Some of the Political Science courses that I have taken is also relevant to this
Program since these courses discusses comparative government, Asian political thought,
Southeast Asian studies, public international law and international relations.

Aside from academic-related studies, I have been also active in my organizations

in UP and attended seminars which I think will expand my knowledge about socially-
relevant issues.

Last November, I, along with my colleagues or co-presenters, represented UP

Department of Political Science in the 2016 Sizihwan International Conference on Asia-
Pacific Studies where I presented a paper I wrote with my co-authors, Jinky Esguerra and
Franz Velasco. The conference paper is entitled “When Opium Met(h) Myanmar: Drugs
and Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar” and it is mainly about the shadow economies,
particularly drug trafficking that happens in Myanmar as a result of the ethnic conflict
that commenced during the British colonial rule over Myanmar and aggravated by the
Tatmadaw government.

IV. Reason to Participate in The Program

I am very much interested in what this program offers because I have always been
fond of international and diplomatic relations as it has been an area that Political Science
students are studying. I have been to several interesting countries also like Japan, South
Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and I’ve noticed how unique they are to
Western countries in terms of culture, politics and economic stature.

My expectation with regard to this program is that I would be able to share my

own ideas and perspectives concerning politics, economics and culture in Japan and the
Southeast Asian countries. I also would like to share what the Philippines has in store for
foreigners, especially to those who are interested in visiting our country for business and
culture alike. I’d also share things that I have learned from being a Political Science
student such as the theories we apply in the field of politics and economics. Some of my
expertise which I may part to my colleagues and to the organizers of the program besides
my knowledge on Philippine politics involve those about the electoral processes in
Malaysia and the issue of drugs and ethnic conflict in Myanmar. Also, I expect to learn a
lot from this program since I know there are different people of different roots that will
be participating and will be sharing their own thoughts in the program as well regarding
issues that must be discussed and resolved.