In 2023, the UP Open University (UPOU) produced two of the first summa cum laude graduates in history. One of them is Mickey Angel Cortez, and creating history with UPOU became her main drive to success. However, this is no walk in the park. Like the typical UP student, Mickey faced many challenges before claiming her sweet UP Sablay.
Mickey’s interest in multimedia led her to enroll in the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies. UPOU’s learning mode perfectly fits her learning style of knowing and discovering things independently. This learning experience has also helped her become more independent.
One of her significant challenges in studying at UPOU is her sense of solitude. Thankfully, with the emergence of the student council, Mickey and her fellow students could work together and grow as students with their activities beyond academics. She achieved holistic growth by attending student activities. For Mickey, aside from being a summa cum laude, one of the most rewarding experiences is being part of the UPOU USC Volunteer Corps. This experience is where she practiced one of her passions – hosting virtual and on-ground events. Becoming part of these events gave her a sense of belongingness and overcame her feeling of isolation.
For Mickey, being one of the first UPOU summa cum laude is her success and the university’s. Despite the unconventional mode of learning, it reflects and proves that the quality of UPOU’s graduates is on par with the graduates of traditional universities.
Mickey’s key to her success is time management and time blocking. She involved her friends in her production projects and used this time as a way of bonding with them while still doing her academic responsibilities.
Aside from being an independent learner, Mickey’s success as a summa cum laude graduate of UPOU can also be credited to her ability to ground herself in knowing how and when to ask for help whenever she needs it. Mickey’s future looks bright with everything she has gained and learned as a UPOU student.
Written by Zyrene Edrei Villanueva ♦ Edited by Myra C. Almodiel and Anna Cañas-Llamas ♦ Photo by Anna Mhari Duria
#UPOpenUniversity
