Written by: Jasmyn Chrissie Panganiban

Reviewed by: Angela Loui Delos Santos

Creativity needs no grand stages or bright lights; it thrives wherever imagination is present. This year’s OrCom Week proved exactly that through Carve Your Own Path: Be Master of One, an online contest that showcased the artistic strengths of BA Organizational Communication students. In a shared digital space, students brought their ideas to life—writing, illustrating, and photographing pieces that captured their unique voices.

Held entirely online, the competition welcomed participants from all year levels of OrCom. Guided by the prompt, “As part of the OrCom community, how will you create your own alley within its vibrant networks while staying connected with others?” contestants produced works that reflected their creativity and perspective. The top entries from each category earned the honor of being featured in the OrCom Blog, carefully evaluated by the Organizational Communication Society’s Executive Committee.

“Greed”

Out of all the poems, “Greed” stood out for its evocative and compelling narrative. This piece by 4th-year student Jessica Sami Geronimo tells a story of abandoned dreams, only to discover an unexpected field she eventually learned to love.

For Jessica, Carve Your Own Path became a space where she could stay involved in the OrCom Week celebration despite demands of academics. Writing has always been her companion, so submitting a poem felt like the best way for her to stay connected to the OrCommunity.

What many may not see behind her piece is the journey that helped craft it. Jessica shared how misunderstandings about the Communication field, especially the Organizational Communication degree program, once made her doubt this path. However, she discovered the versatility of this program as she continued and even gave herself space to explore her passions, helping her realize she wasn’t lost after all.

I was actually planning to shift but as I move forward with my journey here in the course, I came to eventually fall in love with it and realize the opportunities that it paves for me. I also used to get really insecure because unlike other people, I used to think that I don’t really have a dream or ambition I’m really really passionate about. But OrCom made me realize that it’s not that I didn’t have a dream, it’s that I want to do a lot of things and not just one thing. OrCom being dubbed as ‘jack of all trades, master of all’ helped me realize that fact about myself.

Her honesty and unfiltered expression were recognized by the judges, as she didn’t just tell a story of exploration; she reclaimed her own path, proving that growth begins where doubt once took place.

“re//exist”

The winning prose, “re//exist”, redefines what it means to begin again. Blending the ideas of re-exist and resist, this prose by a 4th year student, Reinelle Patrice Labay, challenges the comforting idea that “again” offers a clean slate.

The prose draws deeply from the writer’s growing fascination with linguistics. Reinelle shared that she has recently been experimenting with typography, linguistic play, and layered meanings in her creative writing pieces. She enjoys writing pieces whose titles alone are open to dichotomous meanings, which guided the creation of “re//exist”. Hence, resist and reexist—a (loose) play on linguistic delimiters or transcriptions and homonyms.

In crafting this prose, Reinelle drew on what she describes as her affinity for gimmicky writing, weaving in subtle linguistic playfulness. She admitted she almost didn’t submit the piece at all—it was last-minute work, and she felt uncertain about its quality. Despite this, she decided to push through. Ironically, that very hesitation and eventual courage echoed the theme of her piece: the act of trying again.

Unity in Bloom

In her winning photograph, the 4th year student Anne Maria Tuliao captures a vibrant bouquet of blue,red, and multicolored roses, mirroring the OrCom community.

Just as every flower contributes to the harmony of the arrangement, every OrCom student brings individuality to create a beautiful harmony within this community.Her photograph was rooted in a growing appreciation for the OrCom community. Anne shared that while she initially joined Carve Your Own Path for additional points in a class, her experience became more meaningful. As she became more involved, she found herself enjoying the sense of connection that came with supporting the activities throughout OrCom Week.

The inspiration behind her winning piece naturally grew from this view. Anne noted that she has always admired how OrCom students shine individually and collectively. “My inspiration was the OrCom Community. I have always observed how members of the OrCom Community shine as individuals, and the same is true when they come together with their fellow OrCom peeps or with members of different organizations.”

When she saw the prompt, she immediately knew what photo to submit she already had that she wanted to submit—a colorful bouquet. For her, the variety of hues symbolized the many personalities within OrCom, each vibrant on its own yet even more striking when put together.

Her Own Path

The winning artwork by Aubrey Marin, a freshman, portrays a student finding her place within the lively world of the OrCom community. Surrounded by swirling letters and bursts of colors, the piece reflects how she herself takes on a mix of challenges, lessons, and shared experiences as an OrCom student.

This artwork originated from her personal place—one shaped by the anxieties, hopes, and self-reflection that often accompany a student’s college journey. Aubrey shared that she initially joined Carve Your Own Path as a course attendance requirement after missing other events. As someone who had always enjoyed drawing, she saw the contest as an opportunity to do something fun.

The inspiration behind her piece was rooted in her habit of overthinking her path in OrCom. Wanting to reflect the theme of “path-carving” in a literal and honest way, she incorporated elements from movie posters, her past cartooning style, and even papers from her classes. These details symbolize the twists and turns of her academic experiences, all leading toward the star at the end of the path, “The star at the end of the road is the goal I wish to achieve amid the rocky road of taking my program.”

She joined the contest simply for attendance, never imagining her work would stand out among the many talented artists in OrCom. Yet her piece still made an impact, a proof that sincerity, creativity, and honest storytelling can shine even when you don’t anticipate it. In the end, her artwork became a reminder that every student, no matter how uncertain, is carving a meaningful path of their own.

This event proved that creativity flourishes most when artists are given the freedom to explore who they are and what they want to be. Each winning piece stands as a testament to the resilience, individuality, and shared spirit that define the OrCommunity. As this year’s Carve Your Own Path : Be Master of One, an online art contest for the OrCom Week 2025 celebration ends, it leaves behind not just winning entries, but also a belief that every member of the OrCommunity carries a story worth telling and a path that is uniquely their own.