UST-RCYC, NJ team up for Nursing Redefined

by Ma. Kristel M. Nadlang

The University of Santo Tomas Red Cross Youth Council (UST-RCYC) Nursing Unit, in partnership with the Nursing Journal (NJ), brought out the creativity and resourcefulness of Thomasian nursing students in Nursing Redefined: Healing Nature through Artistic Innovation, an art competition held on November 19 at the St. Martin de Porres building.

With the theme, Saving the World through Innovation, both abovementioned organizations sought to instill a sense of socio-civic responsibility among the student-nurses through the practice of recycling waste materials as well as resource conservation and distribution to protect Mother Earth. Students could enter either individually or by groups of two to five members each.

“The competition is not a usual event in the nursing week. The nature theme made me decide to push through with the event because I know that the UST College of Nursing is a nature advocate”, said Ryan Amor (II-1), project head of the art competition.

In line with the nature advocacy, the participants were only allowed to craft their own masterpieces using recycled materials provided to them such as NJ back issues, used paper, old newspapers along with limited art materials within a period of two hours. Artworks were judged based from a set of criteria which included creativity, resourcefulness/innovation as well as relevance to the theme, to nursing and to UST.

Lyra Faye Belulia (II-2), together with groupmates Maria Jessanina (II-2), Daphnie Dianne Dayag (II-3) and Atheena Noelle Diaz (II-4), bagged the top prize in this art competition. Runners-up included the team of Justin Cagulada (II-2), Larrence Castro (II-2), Tom Wilfred Ogena (II-7) and Mikhail Jordan Lajom (II-6) who settled for a second-place finish. For the third place, however, there was a tie between the team of Jeanne Nelli Esguerra, Katherine Flores, Fritz Ann Noreen Espedido, Ariane Empaynado and Darwin Ken dela Cruz from Section IV-4 and the team of Jonah Marie Mendoza III, Raegine Anne Molina, Levy Martin Mendoza, Genelle Mari Medina and Pia Therese Natividad from Section III-7.

All the winners of the tilt were awarded special prizes and certificates afterwards.