Two graduates of the Doctor of Communication (DComm) program—Dr. Francis Raymond Calbay and Dr. Evelyn Perez—and one graduate of the Master of Development Communication (MDC) program—Mr. Lee Troy Calimlim—presented their graduate research at the 2025 Qualitative Research in Management and Organization (QRM) Conference. The conference took place from 15-17 April 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

All three researchers were mentored and co-authored by Dr. Jean Saludadez, Professor and Chair of the DComm Program at the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS). They presented papers based on the methodology of their respective dissertations and thesis. Dr. Calbay’s paper, The Organizational Import of Narratives: Structuring Innovation from Tech Startup Founding Stories, explores how narratives shape innovation within startup contexts. Dr. Perez presented Analyzing Students’ Confession Pages Using the Ventriloquial Approach to Understand the Emergence of University Organization, which examines how student-generated content reflects and constructs a university organization. Mr. Calimlim’s work, Podcast Narrative of Women IT Leaders: Leadership Views, Practices, and Accomplishments, highlights the leadership experiences and insights of women in the IT sector through podcast storytelling.

The QRM Conference is a biennial gathering that celebrates the depth and diversity of qualitative research in organizational contexts. The 2025 edition centered on the theme “Embracing Alterity, Reflexivity, and Passion in Research.”

The participation of these graduates at an international academic forum highlights the ongoing commitment of FICS to scholarly excellence and to advancing the field of communication through research that is both rigorous and socially relevant.

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The 7th AAWS Congress opened with compelling plenary sessions that framed key conversations on empowerment, inclusion, and women’s scholarship.Plenary 1, “Revisioning Gender/Women’s Studies in the Post-Pandemic World: Work for Empowerment,” was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Finaflor F. Taylan, Dean of UPOU FMDS and President of AAWS. Dr. Taylan discussed how crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic deepened gender inequalities—particularly in sectors with high female participation—and intensified unpaid care work. She emphasized the need to integrate crisis-related realities, including gendered vulnerabilities, labor shifts, and digital divides, into Gender/Women’s Studies teaching and research, and called for stronger advocacy toward gender-responsive recovery and structural transformation. The session concluded with an engaging Q&A moderated by Asst. Prof. Lorena Jean Saludadez.The second plenary, “Emerging Issues in Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Democracy in Asia: The Role of Advocates,” was presented by Dr. Aileen Park, Associate Professor at Philippine Normal University Mindanao and AAWS Council Member. Drawing from migration-related experiences in the United States, Korea, and Australia, Dr. Park explored discriminatory practices and highlighted the importance of a multivoiced academic mindset rooted in cultural sensitivity, self-awareness, and social responsibility. The session was moderated by Asst. Prof. Maria Lourdes Jarabe, Director of UPOU’s Office of Gender Concerns.Several Parallel Presentation Sessions were also held in the afternoon, featuring research topics on Evolution of Women and Gender Studies Across Asia; Gender, Social Inclusion and Women Empowerment in ASEAN; Women’s Struggles and Democracy in Asia; Gender and Development: ASEAN’s Performance on the SDGs; Gender, Social Inclusion and Women Empowerment in ASEAN; and it also included a Colloquium where UPOU undergraduate and graduate students present their research studies.#AAWSCongress2025 #EmpowerSustainDemocratize #AsianWomenInFocus #SDG5GenderEquality #UPOU ... See MoreSee Less
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