IATSS Forum

I am Katrina Kae Principe, a government official, and a proud Filipino joining the 53rd IATSS Forum this May. It is a blessing to be chosen to participate in this program and having gone through the rigorous screening process and interview, we are counting down the days until we meet everyone, from fellow participants to the hardworking IATSS Forum family. But what I am most looking forward to is the experience, the lessons, the growth that this journey entails with my fellow participants at the IATSS Forum. I am ready to open myself up to new challenges and learn as much as I can from everyone. Borrowing Jaime Buckley’s words in his book to fittingly describe how I feel about the IATSS Forum adventure: “There comes a moment in every life when the Universe presents you with an opportunity to rise to your potential. An open door that only requires the heart to walk through. It’s never easy. It’s not supposed to be. But those who travel this path have always looked back and realized that the test was always about the heart. ...The rest is just practice.” I am continuously inspired by members of the IATSS Forum Alumni that I have met and read about and I hope, that like them, I grab on the chance to rise to my own potential. I hope, just like them, I will be able to ‘practice’ and exercise the valuable experience from the Forum.

Each alumni of the Forum has his/her own personal reason, goal, and level of commitment in participating in the Forum. Some accomplish their personal goals; others discover new goals as the activities progress. Some find and exercise their true self, while others had more time reflecting on themselves. No matter the reason or the disposition, there is something valuable at the end of the IATSS Forum journey. Program-wise, the IATSS Forum is well-designed and comprehensive. Every learning experience, theme, and topic is related to one another. It may not be obvious at first, but every learning experience from the theme study, whether from experts or peers, is a key piece to the participants’ understanding and learning in the end. This experiential learning process is one of the most eye-opening and exciting realizations I had about the program. I hope the future participants will value this self-discovery process as much as I had during the Forum. Most of our established alumni have advised us on the valuable network of the IATSS Forum. But more than the network, I think as alumni, we are part of an IATSS Forum community. A community with a deep sense of responsibility for and among each other because we shared the same experience and have the ideals of the Forum ingrained among us. We did not build simply our network among young leaders and professional in ASEAN and Japan, but we have initiated relationships among them and will, in the future, deepen that relationship as we fulfil our roles in our countries as alumni. Aside from the formal and informal learning experience, what I value the most is the hard work, commitment, and dedication of the staff and the volunteers of the Forum. From the staff, the working ethics and professionalism is what I emulate (at least, try to) in my workplace. The hospitality of the volunteers was also truly heartwarming. I am truly grateful to experience Japanese culture, way, and life through IATSS and was happy to share with them as well my culture. Open yourself up and actively seek challenges – that phrase, although still inadequate, is my personal takeaway from the IATSS Forum experience. From meeting new people; developing friendships; being open to learning new things; being critical and accepting of new perspectives and varied viewpoints; working with others; learning with my peers - I learned to be open wholeheartedly to the experience. The IATSS Forum journey does not guarantee a life-changing experience because it still depends on individual perception. But as an alumnus of the 53rd Batch, it definitely changed me – for the better.