Meet the new breed of Pinay & Proud role models from De La Salle University! An entrepreneur, an athlete, an advocate, a leader, and a partner make the well-rounded roster.

Meet the new breed of Pinay & Proud role models from De La Salle University! An entrepreneur, an athlete, an advocate, a leader, and a partner make the well-rounded roster.

Meet the new breed of Pinay & Proud role models from De La Salle University! A creative entrepreneur, a passionate athlete, a determined advocate, an extraordinary leader, and a devoted partner make the well-rounded roster.

YUKI TANSENGCO: Creative Entrepreneur

Yuki Tansengco is a 20-year old Marketing Major and an advocate of eco-ethical fashion. After an intensive Manila Bay clean-up in 2009, she spends her years in college building a business that focuses on saving the environment by making recyclable materials into wearable pieces of jewelry and called it "Yuki Makes Things". She lived by the mantra "reuse, reduce, UPCYLE" and searched for creative ways to get the youth to reduce their carbon footprint. 

In 2012, she re-branded into "W.E. Garage" with the help of GKonomics after being one of the top 3 teams in the Filipino Youth Innovation Competition. Incorporating one’s concern for the environment intertwined with providing women with sustainable income is the main advocacy of W.E. Garage. Her biggest motivation is the overwhelming response of the youth, when they share how the business has inspired them - slowly moving them to live the advocacy!

Today, she is currently working with Gawad Kalinga as a social entrepreneur, shares the same advocacy on sustainable development, and blogs about her love for eco-ethical fashion through mywearabouts.tumblr.com. With W.E. Garage, she is continuing to innovate and create more products to make a difference in the environment and the lives of less-fortunate women in the Philippines.

"I want the Filipino youth to realize that you can never be too young, too poor nor too busy to start something. As long as you are passionate with what you do, that will drive you to be at your best and lead you to create good art! Money will come after. If it doesn't, then you'll still be happy because you created good art. Dream big but an idea without execution is merely a hallucination. Work hard and keep the faith - Animo!"

MELISSA GOHING: Passionate Athlete

Melissa Esonga Gohing plays for the Women’s Volleyball Varsity Team, and even though she was the youngest and the smallest in the team, she was awarded Rookie of the Year in both the indoor and beach volleyball tournament during the UAAP Season ’71 where her team won the championship title. This championship streak went on during the UAAP Season ‘73 & ‘74.

Trials she experienced in her personal life didn’t stop her but pushed her more to attain her goal. Her undying passion for volleyball, endless support from loved ones, and guidance from the One above move her to wholeheartedly train hard and play harder in the court.

"Filipinos, despite the struggles, will be covered with smiles and laughter. In every trial, Filipinos are there for each other."

KRIZIA CORTEZ: Determined Advocate

Krizia Cortez is known to be determined and of a strong character, for her unwavering courage to stand up for what she believes in, never blindly conforming to the bandwagon of society's trends.

Her interest in politics, which began in her high school years, continued when she hit college. Though she may have lost during her freshman year, this defeat did not discourage her from doing her part as a Lasallian for God and country. She became involved in different offices and organizations before giving student politics a try again. This time, she was mandated as batch President. In the same year, together with a good friend, she was able to organize a group for the LGBT community and the advocacy's supporters inside DLSU, the Queer Archers' Alliance.

To Krizia, seeing injustices whether to humans, animals, or to the environment drives her to do more for their protection and for championing the dignity that is trampled by society's shallow understanding, misdeeds and malpractices.

"Filipinas have so much potential that they do not realize because, in a patriarchal society, women often hear the words "You CAN'T." But I believe that every Filipina CAN do anything that she aspires to do and become the person that she wants to be. We, Filipinas, are the movers, the change-makers and the shapers of the nation that we envision the next generation to be in."

JULIE ANNE CABUHAT: Extraordinary Leader

Jana, as she is known to most of her friends, is simply incomparable. She has indeed marked herself as an extraordinary student who’s able to juggle academics along with a heavy load of extra-curricular activities with her perfectly manicured fingers. 

Her passion in serving and leading shone as she kicked off her freshman year as the Legislative Assembly Representative for her batch. One can attest that the path she has taken isn’t smoothly-paved, experiencing a lot of hindrances along the way – but she never stopped. During her third year, she ran for College Presidency. She may have lost an election but she has unquestionably won the admiration and trust of her constituents. Rising from a great fall, she continued to spread her wings as she took the challenge of being the President of the University Student Government as well as the National Spokesperson, and later on, the Chairperson of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines. All these while juggling her academics, retaining an Honorable Mention standing.

Certainly a force to be reckoned with, she may not be the conventional leader one expects to find, but in her own way, she has proven and will continue to prove herself to be one of the most well-rounded and definitely unforgettable leaders DLSU and the nation has ever come across.

MARGARET PAMIS: Devoted Partner

Margaret believes her childhood experience of growing up without a mom’s care cultivated her to become a compassionate individual with a heart for service. This moved her to join Gawad Kalinga (GK), and she now serves as the Chairperson of GK-De La Salle University.

While actively creating projects for GK, she also manages to be part of the Managers of Junior Entrepreneurs' and Marketing Association.

“Filipinas are passionate and enthusiastic. For every happening in my life, I always prefer to appreciate and love things first, because when you already love what you are doing, you will start to have strength in pursuing what you want.

“Sa bawat ginagawa ng isang Pinay, laging may pusong kasama. Because of this, I am claiming that I am proud to be a Pinay! - A Pinay who can live, love, and lead.”