Barkada Talk: Mental Matters

With over 100 attendees on Zoom, Barkada Talk: Mental Matters was an event organized by The Leadership Program, where they invited alumni who graduated from Enderun Colleges, namely Ms. Bea Gonzales, Amber Masorong, and Hannah Pira. The speakers tackled many issues, including breaking the stigma revolving around mental health. The discussion also had a very honest and raw sharing of their experiences and some important advice on how to deal with mental health. Furthermore, the event covered the importance of mental health, how one can cope with mental breakdowns, how to mentally adjust to the new normal, and everything in between.

The event began with Ms. Bea Gonzales sharing her heartfelt story on how she had to deal with handling her mental illness. Most would say this was the highlight of the event because of the rawness, genuine, and inspiring words from Bea herself. But, it didn’t stop here, the talk had lightened when Ms. Amber and Ms. Hannah chimed in an open forum where they shared their side to how they were able to deal with a friend who is bipolar and how they were able to cheer her up on her low days. Witnessing the back and forth conversation between the group of friends was super enlightening. It was educational, fun, and cheerful. After the open forum, the Barkada group answered questions that the audience had during the Q&A portion that was moderated by a Hotel Administration Sophomore student, Nick Chun.

In summary, the power of getting through your bad days with someone showed true importance in keeping sane. It shows you that having a true group of friends whom you can trust and tell everything to can be quite healing. If you ever need someone, connect with your loved ones, friends, or even the school guidance counselor.

You approach the following Enderun guidance counselors for help:
Guidance Counselor:
James Franco
james.franco@enderuncolleges.com

MC Ollero
ASC Officer
Guidance Advocate
mc.ollero@enderuncolleges.com