Passing on the Developer Student Clubs Lead Baton — An Ending and A New Beginning
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
Just like Bilbo Baggins in the famous novel and film series The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, my Developer Student Clubs journey was very unexpected. It was unexpected because founding an organization in my university wasn’t part of my initial plans as an undergraduate student. Like legit, if you were to ask me back then, I’ll totally say that I was already contented with where I was then and have no plans to start a new chapter or sort. But, everything changed when I came across the Leads Application online, specifically in the Facebook Page of Google Developer Group Philippines. It was because of that post that my plans started to change. Honestly, if it wasn’t for GDG Philippines, maybe, I wouldn’t have known about this opportunity.
Who was my Gandalf, the wizard that convinced Bilbo to leave the Shire? I would say it would be my family as well as sir Francis Bautista (thank you sir for endorsing me in my application as DSC Lead) who encouraged me to take on the challenge and try applying. So I did, I took a humble step outside my comfort zone and filled out the application. I also prepared a 1 minute video (honestly mine was more than a minute) introducing myself to Googlers who’ll evaluate me. In the video, I stated my current experiences and skills at that time and shared the dreams I wanted to achieve. (My pro-tip for this part of the application is to be yourself and showcase the real you.) You can check out my application video here.
However, my DSC journey wasn’t just meant for me to travel alone. I am happy that I have four friends who took courage and became my companions in embracing the dream of uplifting communities through technology. After several interviews and weeks or maybe months of uncertainty and waiting because no one knew who Google will pick as “the ring bearer” or the individual that will carry the burden of becoming the student leader of the first ever DSC Chapter in the Ateneo de Manila University, I received an email that congratulated me that I was the one chosen. Upon reading the letter, I really can’t explain what I felt at that time. I’m pretty sure that my emotions were pretty messed up. But, I had to face reality. So, I humbly accepted the offer and asked my friends, who later on became the co-founders of Developer Student Clubs Loyola, to continually journey together with me.
That is why to all the future Developer Student Clubs Lead, my advice for you is to look for reliable friends and companions that will help you lead. They will not carry the burden for you but they can carry you and be with you through the best and the worst of times.
After receiving the letter that I was chosen as the DSC Lead for my university, the next letter that I received was an invitation to join the Developer Student Clubs Leads Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is an annual gathering wherein student leaders from all around the region, specifically Southeast Asia, will get to meet and bond with each other as well as learn from Googlers and Google Developers themselves. This summit is where each lead is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, both technical and leadership, that will help them in establishing their own chapters and hosting events. This is also where the community managers introduced more in depth the work that the DSC program is trying to achieve.
So, you might be wondering what Developer Student Clubs really is?
Developer Student Clubs are student organizations powered by Google Developers that aims to build students’ skills and network by giving them access to different technologies, specifically Google Developer technologies and many more. In DSC, students learn in a peer-to-peer learning environment and build solutions for the community. In summary, the mission of each chapter is to bridge the gap between theories learned in usual educational curriculum and the actual work practices and the vision is to use the knowledge and skills to uplift communities through technology.
The summit for me was an eye opener because it was there that I understood more the work and the narrative that the program is trying to build in each student as well as in the community. In the summit, I also learned really new technologies that I haven’t tried before. We explored Google Sites, Firebase, Angular, BigQuery, TensorFlow, Kotlin for Android, Flutter as well as Design Thinking, Personal Branding and Development and many more. (You can check my article about the DSC summit here.)
Those 3 days and 2 nights were worth remembering because I really learned a lot of cool stuffs as well as the opportunity to bond with my fellow Filipino leads together with DSC leads from other Southeast Asian countries. It was really fun to play in the pool with our Malaysian counterparts as well as learn to speak different languages (even if it was basic…it was actually exciting). We also had a chance to tour different places in Kuala Lumpur besides the hotel that we’re staying in. We got to eat different kinds of cuisines as well as see the Petronas Twin Towers. It was really a wonderful experience!
Take note that, the focus of a DSC Lead shouldn’t always be about work. A lead should learn how to stop, pause, take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.
But, all good things always come to and end. After the DSC Leads Summit, we returned to our respective countries to establish chapters in our campus. With the help of the co-founders, we handled all the necessary paperwork. It was such a hassle but we told ourselves not to give up because we’re fighting for a great dream together. We prepared several documents and even signed legal papers to comply with the rules and regulations of establishing a student organization in the university.
In less than a month or so, together, we were able to establish the first ever Developer Student Clubs chapter in the Ateneo de Manila University which we called Developer Student Clubs Loyola. This wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of my co-founders. A shout out to my friends namely Daniel Del Rio, Cobbie Quintos, Miggy Pinaroc and Audrey Picar who supported me in this the good work of establishing a new organization in the University. The organization wouldn’t have come to life without you guys.
After we established the student organization, we opened membership signups through Google forms. We opened the form for several weeks and we were truly astonished to see that in our first year of existence, there were a total of 200+ member signups. We, immediately created a core team to help us manage the organization. We created an operations core team who will help us in internal management as well as organizing different events. Also, we built a tech core team who will help us teach, mentor and build projects. In addition, we organized community development and creatives core team to help us in branding and culture.
After organizing core teams, we conducted several events such as general assemblies, info-sessions, hands-on workshops, cloud study jams and speaker sessions to continually engage our members and equip them with necessary skills. Notable topics that were organized were data science workshops, flutter hands-on training, cloud sessions and Firebase gatherings.
Developer Student Clubs Loyola was also very flexible and adaptable because even though COVID-19 pandemic somehow paralyzed the world, we were able to partner with several organizations and corporations for donation drives as well as host a very successful webinar series called Tech at Home 2020, it was our alternative to to our flagship conference called TechFest x AdMU 2020. Likewise, all the chapters in the Philippines worked together to create great publications, videos and host a webinar series wherein we showcased each lead’s experiences as well as give a glimpse of what we teach in DSC through virtual hands-on workshops.
Truly, learning never stops. DSC found multiple ways to reach out to individuals that are hungry for learning and will continue to find different alternatives to teach students and professionals alike. Thus, I would honestly say that under my term, DSC Loyola’s first year was very productive and I hope it will continue to explore more approaches in achieving the vision and mission of the organization.
The secret of the success of DSC Loyola in its first year isn’t because we’re more knowledgeable nor privileged than the rest, but because we were able to cultivate a heart of service and a culture of open mentorship.
I would like to challenge each aspiring DSC Lead to step out of your comfort zones and journey together with Developer Student Clubs. Remember, you are not alone. You have the alumni of DSC Leads to guide you as well as your family, friends and also your future core team who will support you all the way. My last advice for you is to actively reach out to your fellow DSC leads for collaborations and your mentors for guidance. Together, you will be able to usher not just your chapter to success but also other chapters as well.
Remember, there’s no competition here but an open cooperation to create an impact to several communities. This is the reason why I believe that the nineteen (19) DSC chapters in different universities and colleges in the Philippines were able to not just start strong but also finish strong with a very productive DSC Live series which you can re-watch in our Facebook page called DSC Philippines.
As I wrap up my journey as the Developer Student Clubs Lead of Ateneo de Manila University for Academic Year 2019–2020, I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to everyone, especially my family and friends, who believed in me and supported me in building this great work that we are doing in Developer Student Clubs. Moreover, I would like to extend my gratitude to sir Shad Roi de la Cruz, DSC Community Manager of Southeast Asia, for the continuous support that he is providing not just to my chapter but to all the chapters especially those in the Philippines. Sir Shad, you didn’t just bring out the best in each chapter but you also brought out the best in each DSC lead of which I’m very thankful for. I would also like to extend my thanks to Franz Cesista, Robin Chua, Ceej Atienza, Jethro Sia, Franz Taborlupa, Polly Baterna and many more students leaders that made DSC Loyola better than before. Furthermore, it was with great pleasure to have serve and created impact together with you all.
Whoever will be my DSC lead successor, I’m passing my baton to you because my work as a DSC Lead is completed. I’m not called to finish the race but to start it. It’s your turn now my friend to take up the banner and usher the organization to greater heights. I’ll be rooting for you always.
Thank you very much and May God bless Developer Student Clubs ❤
Hello 👋
Thank you very much for making it until the end of my article! Should you by any chance have any inquiries or questions, please feel free to reach me at harveyjaysison@gmail.com or check me out at https://harveysison.com
Harvey Sison is training to be a data-driven full stack software engineer (hopefully both in web and mobile) , aspiring to be technopreneur and a UX Enthuasiast from Quezon City, Philippines.
Interested also to apply as the Developer Student Clubs Lead in your university? What are you waiting for? Sign up now at goo.gle/dsc-leads! Deadline is on June 1, 2020 at 11:59pm, PST.
👍 Follow Us
Interested in Developer Student Clubs Loyola? Reach us out at dsc.ateneo@gmail.com or checkout us at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
LinkedIn and Website.
Follow DSC Philippines, the official Facebook page of all DSC Chapters in the Philippines.
