As I walk this path towards my retirement in six years, after completing 24 years of long-term employment with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, I am preparing myself to serve the Youth, as well as our Kababayans of all ages, through social remittances of lifelong learning, personal development and mentoring. Where else do I place all the institutional learning and knowledge that this work and life experience has presented me with? Since my own two children have spread their wings a few years back and bequeathed their nests to me and my husband, father of my two children, I have been exploring and cultivating ways in which I can carve this path on which I believe I am to tread.
The bit of success I have to date has been mentoring interns of different nationalities who have joined the section where I am currently assigned, HIV/AIDS. I am not an expert on this thematic area of the United Nations mandate, as I am on the administrative side of this area of work. Nevertheless, through what I have learned in my work experience, the bird's eye view I have gained, and the parenting skills I have mastered, I am able to meet the career planning and development needs of youth I have encountered. I also have had the fortune of having been introduced to a group of University of the Philippines, Los Baños, who are interested in learning about the work of the United Nations. Through these encounters and opportunities to serve the Youth, I have committed myself to continue on this mission of service.
Photos courtesy of Mae Cayir.