Writers: Richelle Justine Araya, Niña Patricia Aguinaldo, & Mary Treb Hibaya
Head held high with her heart whole of purpose—Isabel Consuelo Miguel stands tall, creating change little by little by doing different missions within the organization. She serves the role of Junior Volunteer Coordinator of UST Volunteers for UNICEF while also partaking the role as the Executive Director for the Adversity Response and Resilience Committee of the College of Science Student Council, showing her dire will and unwavering dedication to serve the academic year 2024-2025. One must say that she is a jack of all crafts because she has mastered and succeeded in any task she undertakes. Ms. Miguel’s commitment is unwavering, whether spearheading volunteer initiatives or taking the initiative to foster resilience within the student body. She stands out for her dedication to leadership and service, demonstrating that one person’s dedication can lead to great change. Let’s see how she plays her cards and learn more about her journey at UVU!
Why did you join UVU? What made you join the Junior Volunteer Coordinator Program of the organization?
As if it was an untold story woven in the stars— Ate Isabel’s journey in UVU unfolded right before her eyes, and destiny knew it was meant to happen. From the humble beginnings of her academics as a student during her elementary days, she engaged and stepped up in a more challenging leadership role where it all started. “I just wanted to immerse myself in something more than academics,” she explained. And at an early age, she is rooted in virtues, knows that her voice is needed, and sees where she is headed.
During her college journey, she discovered a new place to call home. With a simple nudge from a friend, an inspiring community was found where her passion blossomed. To find a place where you are wanted, she reflected, “... parang gusto ko ring ma-align sa advocacy ko in life [ang] women’s rights and children's rights. Which is ‘yon, I found UVU,” knowing later on that she made the right decision.
Joining the Junior Volunteer Coordinator program, her curiosity deepened during the rotation to different offices and roles, igniting a newfound dedication to making a difference. “Actually kilala niyo siya eh… si Kuya Franco! Anyways, siya yung nag-suggest sa akin na mag-JVC daw ako. So, ayun, na-intriga rin ako kasi, of course, sa JVC, as we know, we rotate sa different offices. So, alam mo yun, naiimerse ka rin sa different work. So basically, ‘yon yung reason ko,” she recalled. Ate Isabel was intrigued by the prospect and chose to take on the challenge.
Throughout this journey, she was able to work collaboratively with other people as she learned to navigate a diverse environment where she could grow and connect her actions with her advocacy. Looking back, Isabel realizes that entering UVU and the JVC program was more than simply a choice; it was a destiny that defined her path to advocacy and leadership.
Being a student who is part of the student council and a Junior Volunteer Coordinator at the same time, how do you manage your time and responsibilities, and how do your roles complement or contrast each other?
Serving two roles is challenging and demanding, but not for Ate Isabel. She conquers and sees it as an opportunity to grow and be filled with fulfillment and satisfaction. As a student-leader, hardships come with these responsibilities, but she takes on these challenges to strengthen her character.
To manage, she relied on Google Calendar. Planning and visualizing her tasks beforehand allows her to estimate how much time she will need to finish projects per month. "What I have to prioritize first, what I have to prioritize last. Kasi in that way, makikita mo kung ano ba 'yung need na tapusin for this day, for that day,” she shared. This approach ensures that no duties are missed and keeps her organized. Ate Isabel has demonstrated exceptional organizational and time-management abilities in her profession, contributing to the success of every project, activity, and occasion. “I take it one step at a time kasi sobrang na-o-overload, na-o-overwhelm ako pag pinagsasabay ko lahat,” she admitted. By taking small steps at a time, she believed that as long as there was consistency in her actions, she could pull through whatever obstacles she had to face.
She believes and truly embodies a work-balance habit. Since her role as JVC is a bit overwhelming, she ensures that pressure will not affect her. “So, for instance, isang task muna, and then pag magpapahinga, UVU task na naman. So, 'yun lang. So parang alternating lang," she explained. Rest will always be part of the schedule to ensure that the quality of her work is never tarnished.
Her jobs as a student council member and at JVC are separate and different from one another, but she finds methods to navigate both. She must deal with the difficulties of being a CSSC member, which include checking students' welfare during typhoons and other natural calamities. She also participates in projects ranging from emergency response or earthquake drill planning to mental health assessments.
Even though the roles differ, Ate Isabel finds a common purpose: her genuine desire to help others. Juggling these responsibilities pushes her to improve her multitasking skills while teaching her to quickly adapt to different situations. For Ate Isabel, taking on both roles isn't just about managing tasks—it's about growing as a leader who can embrace varied responsibilities with passion and purpose.
So far, what experience has challenged you the most, and what key lessons did you learn from it?
For Isabel, the greatest challenge came not from the weight of her responsibilities but from the transition itself—her leap from a small town in Mindanao to the bustling life of Manila as a first-year student. The shift was jarring, a sudden immersion into a world where everything moved faster, where personalities loomed larger, and where keeping up felt like an unspoken requirement.
"I wasn’t able to join UVU immediately because I was still adjusting,"she admitted."Coming from a small town, I felt so small here. The pace was different—people, trends, even the way you had to carry yourself. If you didn’t adapt, you’d be left behind."
But Isabel did adapt. She learned to navigate the currents of city life and college demands, drawing an unexpected lesson from an unlikely source: Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. "The ones who survive aren’t the strongest, but those who adapt," she reflected. "That became my mindset. I had to adjust, to learn how to move with the rhythm of this new environment. And I did."
What could have been a stumbling block became a stepping stone. The challenge of her first year didn’t just teach her resilience—it reshaped her perspective on growth, proving that adaptation isn’t surrender; it’s survival.
Looking back, what is the most memorable rotation for you and why?
Ask Isabel about her most memorable rotation, and her answer comes with a laugh—Team Secretary, the role she never saw herself in. "I hate paperwork. If you asked me if I’d run for secretary, my answer would be no!" she confessed. Yet, against all expectations, it became her favorite.
The reason? Not the tasks, but the people. "Ate Azil and Ate Max made it unforgettable," she shared. "They were so welcoming, so patient. The work itself wasn’t my thing, but the way they treated us JVCs—that’s what stuck with me."
There was something else, too: the magic of a first experience. "Maybe it’s because it was my first rotation," she mused. "All the rotations were great, but Team Secretary had this… edge. A bond. Even though I’d never choose paperwork, I’d choose those moments again in a heartbeat."
It was a reminder that joy in service often lies not in what you do, but in who you do it with.
Can you share a moment during your JVC journey that made you realize the true impact of volunteerism?
The true essence of UNICEF defines what it means to have the presence of this organization: to be of help to those who are in need. To become a beam of light at the end of the narrow tunnel the underprivileged have to crawl through for survival. To become the bearer of hope for those lost to the war against their aching stomachs and dried tongues. To become a beacon of change to a system that has been long haunted by the ghost of corrupted endeavors. It is not easy to see a community receive the other end of feigned ignorance brought by the movement of the “bystander effect.” However, this very problem proves to be the foundation of Ate Isabel’s realization of her JVC journey and how she brought another definition, a compilation of words she has pieced together herself, to the impact of volunteerism.
Ate Isabel’s position in JVC, although of great importance when it comes to the spread of importance, lets her focus more on the technicalities of paperwork. “Since yung work kasi natin dito sa JVC as of now, parang hindi pa tayo naiimerse talaga outside of the campus, parang more on paperworks, more on paggawa ng mga pubmats and reports,” she stated. Due to this, her ideologies on reaching the community are more centralized in publication materials and formal reports.
However, one impactful event helped her define what volunteerism is to her. “Medyo tumatak talaga sa utak ko ‘yung nag JVC party. Because after that, we had a lot of extra food, and we had the opportunity to give yung extra food natin to the street kids ng P.Noval,” she recalled. With a simple gift such as a packed meal, touching graces from one hand to another, and exchanging blessings with the price of a smile meant greatness to Ate Isabel. “Doon ko narealize na, grabe, sobrang tama ng organization na najoinan ko kasi ito talaga ‘yung gusto ko: to be able to physically help yung mga kids. Parang doon ko naisip na this is why I volunteer[ed] for the organization in the first place… kasi I wanted to help other people,” she ended.
The ability to become physically there, especially for the kids, redefined the true impact of volunteerism for Ate Isabel. The impact of volunteerism is, as to her, the ability to become a tangible form of hope. It is in the sharing of privilege and in the exchange of blessings that she felt found and where she found her becoming.
If you could go back and give advice to yourself before joining UVU, what would you say?
Isabel’s advice to her past self is simple, fierce, and punctuated with the warmth of hindsight: "Push mo na ’yan, teh!”
She laughed as she recounted it, but the conviction behind the words was unmistakable. "I’d tell myself, ‘You wanted this for all the right reasons. This is your chance to be part of something bigger—to help, to change things. So go, even if you’re scared. Even if you doubt yourself. Just go.’"
There’s no hesitation in her voice now, no trace of the uncertainty she once felt. Only the clarity of someone who took the leap and found her purpose on the other side. "UVU was where I was meant to be," she said. "I just needed to trust that from the start."
In what ways do you think UVU has influenced your personal growth and future aspirations beyond the organization?
UVU has helped Isabel Consuelo Miguel in ways more than one, but it all can be consolidated in one mission she has set for herself: UVU is the family that she will continue to foster through the journey of her constant becoming.
“I think UVU has influenced yung growth ko and future aspirations ko beyond the organization in a lot of ways,” Isabel on how she was influenced by the organization with regards to her personal growth and future aspirations. “I think I’ve grown in a way na sobrang nainfluence ako. Ohana talaga’ yung UVU… naenvision ko na yung self ko upholding this in the future. ‘Yung journey ko in being a volunteer when it comes to fighting for children’s rights, — I don’t think it's gonna end just after graduating college,” she continued.
From becoming part of UVU’S Ohana, to sharing the privileges she upholds through volunteer works and being able to become a physical, tangible, and living form of hope for the kids, Isabel has sworn to continue becoming the bearer of light even outside the comfort of her college years. She was able to feel the comfort of having a family, both in the presence of fellow members of UVU as well as in the presence of the community this organization aim to help – the kids. This volunteer work, which once started within the shadow of a doubt, a seedling of confusion amidst the garden of extracurriculars and academics, grew and bloomed into a rosy perception of life. It flourished to nourish her life. It flourished to nurture who she is as a person.
“I envision myself, siguro joining sana UNICEF Philippines and being of help din doon. Talagang advocacy ko na talaga ‘yung sa kids,” Isabel proceeded. “Doon din sa community namin back in Mindanao. I [have] always wanted to help our kids doon… kasi a lot of kids are being abused. For instance, I don’t want to interfere din kasi maybe it’s part of their culture, but may mga kids doon na at an early age of 10, mayroon na silang anak. I wanted to help kasi, of course, they are kids,” she added.
More than feeling the comfort of found family, Isabel pointed out specific problems from a specific community that she aimed to provide solutions for after her college years, with the help of UNICEF Philippines. This consolidates her mission of continuing her volunteerism even after college.
“I don’t see naman na mageend yung fight ko for their rights at the end of college,” she ended.
UVU is the family Isabel Consuelo Miguel found, and it will be the family she will continue to protect.