Written by: Charmiane Teri Ramos

They say that the second semester of third year is the most challenging chapter for BA Organizational Communication (OrCom) students’ journey, and for many juniors, this rings painfully true. At this stage, college life can feel like walking a tightrope: balancing between simultaneous group projects, back-to-back deadlines, and personal commitments all at once. But what if there were a way to not just survive, but to truly thrive amid all the demands? 

Ace Your Acads (AYA) gave students exactly that opportunity. On January 29, 2026, at 5 PM, BA OrCom juniors gathered online via Zoom, filled with curiosity and anticipation. Even through the screens, the energy was palpable as AYA officially kicked off. The event featured three inspiring speakers who shared practical strategies, survival tips, and personal insights to help juniors that navigate their academics—and get that coveted uno.

Laura De Guzman
OrCom 143, Approaches to Communication in Management

The first speaker, Laura De Guzman, immediately captured the juniors’ attention with her impressive academic and leadership background. A fourth-year BA Organizational Communication student and the President of AIESEC UP Manila, she has represented the country in international platforms such as the Model AIPA in Kuala Lumpur and the Asian Undergraduate Symposium at the National University of Singapore. 

Before formally beginning her talk, Laura invited the juniors to react on Zoom if they were interested in starting a business. Nearly everyone responded with heart emojis, reflecting their enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. This interaction set the tone for her discussion, especially since OrCom 143 focuses heavily on business and management. 

“In a nutshell, OrCom 143 is about learning how to be your own manager,” Laura explained. She emphasizes that the course trains the students to become effective managers and communicators across finance, marketing, operations, and human resources. Going beyond rote memorization, OrCom 143 centers on applying communication skills in real-word professional contexts. 

Laura then walked the juniors through the course requirements—attendance, quizzes, reflection papers, and the much-anticipated mini venture. Among these, she highlighted the mini venture as the most exciting and the challenging component, as it allows students to plan and operate their small business.

Using her group’s project, Cookie Pop, as an example, Laura demonstrated how creativity and teamwork can lead to success. Inspired by the popularity of snacks among UPM students, her group created a cookie brand with a “blind box” concept, where identical packaging left customers guessing which flavor they would receive. This element of surprise fueled curiosity and repeat purchases, which allowed their group to sell out almost every day. As she shared, “Hindi nila alam kung anong flavor ang makukuha nila, (kaya) kapag hindi nila nakuha (‘yung gusto nila), bibili ulit sila. Instant budol!” 

Despite their success, Laura was candid about the challenges they faced, including supplier dependency, ingredient shortages, manpower issues, financial miscommunication, and customer management concerts. From these experiences, she stressed the importance of proper transaction recording, contingency plans, and clear group communication. 

She then shared valuable mini venture tips with the juniors: think creatively, capitalize on your strengths, understand your target market, and maximize social media platforms. Equally important, she reminded students to communicate openly with their groupmates, stay calm under pressure, and always prepare backup plans. “Think big,” she advised, “but remember that this is still a class project”

Beyond the mini venture, Laura also offered advice for other academic requirements. She emphasized the importance of reading assigned materials, proofreading papers, writing clearly and concisely, and memorizing key definitions for quizzes. During the question-and-answer portion, she further clarified that while product uniqueness matters, simplicity paired with strong marketing often proves more effective. 

Gabby Fontanilla
OrCom 192, Qualitative Research Methods in Organizational Communication

The second speaker, Gabby Fontanilla, is also a fourth-year BA Organizational Communication student and currently works as a Marketing Intern at Organica Nutrition. There, she applies her OrCom foundation through digital marketing and content creation to build a meaningful presence across platforms. She previously  served as the Vice President for Membership Experience at Organizational Communication Society (OrComSoc), leading initiatives such as the buddy system, OrComSoc Year Starter, and LEAP. 

Gabby began her talk by clarifying the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research. While quantitative research transforms data into numbers and attempts to predict trends, she explained that qualitative research goes deeper, with the researcher serving as the primary instrument. As she put it, “Ikaw yung bridge na tumutulay between your results and participants.” 

She then shared practical advice on navigating OrCom 192. Although their batch had a different professor, she reassured the juniors that her tips aligned closely with Ma’am Salazar’s approach. Gabby emphasized that classes are conducted synchronously—both face to face and online—and strictly follow the course guide. “I-take note niyo na lahat ng deadlines niyo,” she reminded them, “kasi yun na yung parang masterguide niyo, ” stressing the importance of staying organized and keeping track of every requirement. 

Gabby went over the major components of the course, from attendance and group work to the research paper, stressing that the group grade heavily influences the final grade. On consultations, she offered reassurance: “Ma’am Salazar might be a busy person, but she will 100% guide you throughout your research paper if you feel unsure.”

To help students better visualize the process and expectations, Gabby shared examples of previous research outputs, including a final manuscript titled “From Collaboration to Conformity: Groupthink among Organizational Communication Students in a Leadership Conference.” This provided a clear picture of how qualitative research is conducted and showed students that the process is manageable rather than overwhelming.

She concluded her talk with practical tips: choose a relevant and feasible topic, meet regularly with your groupmates, set internal deadlines, and organize all files in a master document. More importantly, she reminded juniors that research is an opportunity to create something meaningful. “Hindi lang tayo nagre-research for the sake of completing the subject,” she emphasized, “but to discover something that could eventually make a difference and help the society.”

Yaghi Parilla
Speech 183, Audiovisual Communication

The final speaker, Yaghi Parilla, a fourth-year BA Organizational Communication student, shared his expertise in visual storytelling and strategic communication. During his junior year, he worked on various visual projects for university organizations. He previously served as the Graphic Editor of The Manila Collegian and VP for Publicity and Marketing of OrComSoc. 

Yaghi explained that Speech 183 focuses on the selection and effective use of audiovisual materials, from conceptualization to production. He outlined the course components, which include quizzes, slide presentations, graphic design outputs, scripts and storyboards, and audiovisual presentations (AVPs). He encouraged the juniors to embrace creativity in both visuals and concepts and emphasized that familiarity with tools like Photoshop and Premiere Pro is not only essential for the course but also highly valuable in the professional world. “In the workforce, having a background in photoshop is a strong asset. Take the workshop seriously,” he advised.

To illustrate his points, Yaghi shared examples of both individual and group graphic designs and AVP. He demonstrated how Canva elements can be effectively integrated into Photoshop for posters and explained how storyboards guide the production of engaging AVPs. While he reassured students that  Canva is not the enemy—and can be helpful for drafting or gathering elements—he reminded them that the final outputs should rely on Photoshop’s default tools, such as text, shapes, and lines, to achieve a more  professional finish.

Yaghi also addressed common anxieties about the use of Photoshop and Adobe Premiere as an editing software. “Don’t be intimidated. Once you get familiar with the tools, they become intuitive and rewarding to use. Creativity is key, and effort will always pay off.” He said, as he offered a reminder.  

He also reminded, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially for non-creatives. Having a design critique helps you improve your design.” 

Finally, he emphasized the effort, creativity, and willingness to learn are what make Speech 183 not only manageable but deeply rewarding. With effort and dedication, the course is definitely uno-able. 

Through insightful talks and relatable experiences, AYA successfully equipped juniors with the knowledge and confidence to face their academic responsibilities. The speakers’ guidance transformed uncertainty into clarity and pressure into motivation, reminding students that every challenge is an opportunity to grow. As juniors continue their OrCom journey, they carry with them lessons that extend beyond the classroom. From surviving to thriving, AYA empowers every OrCom student to succeed and reach their full potential.