The UPLB Learning Resource Center (LRC) successfully held a three-day webinar entitled “Prepping UP for Success” to help graduating students improve their self-presentation skills and strategies for their post-graduation activities.

About 600 individuals from all over the country participated virtually in the week-long event and joined the three-part webinar series.

In her opening remarks, Vice Chancellor Janette H. Malata-Silva shared the excitement of the soon-to-be graduates as they embark on a new chapter in their lives. Emphasizing the need to boost one’s confidence in preparation for the near future, she said that the webinar series could hopefully enlighten the participants about making good first impressions, public speaking, and building an online presence.

The first session titled “Dress up!: How to make first impressions last through power dressing” was held on July 11, and featured Jose Basil Malicsi, a local fashion designer and a Master of Fine Arts candidate from UP Diliman. Malicsi discussed the brief history of and some helpful guides to power dressing.

On July 13, Elizabeth Segura-Krueger, a faculty member at the Department of Humanities (DHum), led the session entitled “Speak up!: How to be an effective public speaker,”  where she talked about overcoming the fear of public speaking and becoming an effective public speaker.

Segura-Krueger is an assistant professor in the Language Division of (DHum). With her extensive credentials and experience as a distinguished toastmaster, she also facilitated an application of the table topics formats derived from her session.   

For the last session, Hanna Melissa N. Sorbito, a story-first digital marketer, freelance contributing writer, and senior brand copywriter at Canva, was featured as a resource person. She led the session entitled “Savvy up!: How to build a strong and professional online presence,” which was held on July 15.

Sorbito tackled brand-building for professionals. Her discussion highlighted the 5Ps of a strong professional brand: platform, portfolio, passion, privacy, and personality. She emphasized the benefits of building a strong professional brand, given the post-pandemic setup.

To cap off her talk, Sorbito said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.”

The webinar series was streamed on LRC’s Facebook page, where it can also be replayed. (Dara Miracle Montalbo and  Maria Louisse Angela H. Parado)