University life isn’t all fun and games. When we hear the word “student,” we often associate them with coffees and reviewers, huge stacks of pending requirements, and the last-minute 11:59 deadlines to meet.
Twenty-four hours a day, almost half of it spent inside the school; for Joshua Ronett Castañeda, it is a place where leadership starts as he now becomes the President of the Adamson University Student Government (AUSG) for the school year 2022-2023.
His student life
Joshua is currently in his 4th year taking up a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, majoring in English. Being a leader was not new to him as he used to be a Vice President of the student council in junior high school and was also a volunteer coordinator in their victory church for three years.
The typical stereotype of a student leader is someone who portrays a strong and intimidating persona, but Joshua is someone who knows to joke around and is fun to be with.
Just like every student, he had also been in his grade-conscious phase. Nevertheless, he still joined organizations that would help him develop his talents, especially his love for music. He used to be part of HIMIG - Musicians of Adamson University and Gravity Skills, Expertise, and Talents; the following year, he also tried joining the Adamson University Youth Educators Association (AUYEA) despite the fear of having to neglect his studies.
“Habang tumatagal na ako sa college parang na-realize ko na hindi naman importante ‘yung grades mas importante ‘yung kung ano ‘yung na-de-develop sa sarili natin as a student sa campus,” he said.
Career outside the school
Now, Joshua represents a carefree yet responsible student who knows his priorities. His previous extracurricular experiences shaped his character into someone who knows the work-life balance he applies today. The key is efficient time management.
He also spares time for songwriting and content creation as his way to break free from stress and pressure. Music will always be part of his routine, no matter how busy he is. Joshua used to do song covers on Youtube to showcase his gift. In 2020, it was a dream come true for him when he successfully released an original single entitled “Bakit Ako” on Spotify.
Aside from his music career, what other people might not know about him is that he is also a Tiktok influencer. Far from his uptight attitude from school, his content provides comfort to his audience who are into skincare, makeup, and other skin essentials, which he does in his reviews.
The AUSG journey
Keeping his leader attitude wherever he goes, the 23-year-old AUSG president believes that being a student leader extends beyond the campus. A true leader knows “to serve and not to be served,” quoting from his own words.
“It always boils down to hindi tayo mag-fo-focus sa power of what we can do, but rather kung ano ‘yung kaya nating i-offer sa kanila,” he added.
AUSG was an unspoken aspiration for Joshua at first. His willingness to serve has made him pursue a path to leading student organizations.
Initially, he ran as president of the AUYEA, but things didn't go well as planned when he lost the elections. But, it was as if he was meant for something bigger as he was offered the highest position in the AUSG, which he gladly accepted.
The turnover of the positions was just the start of a new chapter in his life. A new beginning where the drastic shift in learning setup was a challenge for the current administration. It was not an easy adjustment for Joshua as he was left with unresolved issues from the past two years of lockdown.
Despite compromising his time for himself, he has been doing AUSG duties for months with no regrets.
“Ang pagiging AUSG officer, ‘di ka pwedeng tamarin eh, kasi pag humiga ka, pag natulog ka, pag gising mo ang dami nang chats sa’yo eh,” he said.
What to expect from AUSG
One thing that a student leader and an influencer have in common is that people look up to you. Having Joshua play those two distinct roles, he does not feel the need to separate his life outside and inside the school, as his outside connections are also beneficial for the organization when handling contracts and agreements.
The falcons can now rest easy as the president laid tentative plans for the students to anticipate and enjoy. These include the proposal of gradually allowing on-site events, the program to fight historical revisionism, tree planting, feeding, and medical mission, a worship concert for religious events, a kick-off event about journalism, arts, music, and an e-sports fest. He also mentioned prioritizing things that the 1st to 3rd-year students haven’t experienced due to the pandemic restrictions.
When asked what advice he would give those struggling to showcase their inner leadership, he said that simply voicing their thoughts can make a huge difference.
“Lahat naman tayo may gustong baguhin, may gustong i-improve. Paano tayo magsisimula kung walang magsasalita,” Joshua said.
Wisdom is more profound than knowledge; it is something we learn outside the four corners of our classrooms.
They say the teachers are the unsung heroes; however, celebrations aren’t just for educators but also for learners who go on sleepless nights and venture throughout the day.
As we recently celebrated World Students’ day, let us raise a toast for every student who takes the courage to challenge themselves and keep getting better day by day.
If you want to know more about Joshua outside the school, you can check him out on TikTok @joshuaronett for product reviews and stream his latest single, “Ikaw Pa Rin” by Joshua Ronett, on Spotify.
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