#1 Please introduce yourself!
Hi! My name is Rascia Angelica Roldan and I'm from the Philippines. I am an incoming fourth year student in the University of the Philippines Manila under the program of Social Sciences (Area Studies). My hobbies include eating, watching films and anime, reading books and manga, and eating some more HAHAHAHA! I absolutely adore cats and currently own nine of them (it used to be more but we had to give them to our friends because they were just too many to feed). In the future, I aspire to take up a career in the field of foreign service and, hopefully, something related to politics as well.
#2 What is your favorite thing about your country/city? Why?
I definitely love the fact that my country offers a wide variety of foods. One of my favorite Filipino dishes would be Sinigang. It's a sour soup because of the tamarind and it is often paired with pork or fish along with other vegetables like spinach and tomatoes. Some people might find it a bit weird because of its distinct taste but I personally find it yummy and comforting especially during rainy days. Sisig is another dish that I thoroughly enjoy eating. It's made from pig's face (usually the cheek part) mixed with tons of onions and chili peppers. It's traditionally served on a sizzling plate and you can eat it plain or with mayonnaise and egg. A little bit of reminder, people who are conscious of their cholesterol and fat intake must eat this dish responsibly!
#3 What made you want to join ISC67 and your table? What would you like to achieve through the conference?
I found about ISC through a Facebook advertisement looking for international resident participants. Upon reading what ISC is all about in their page, their goal of creating a space for students all around the world to have a meaningful discussions on current global issues, create friendship, and share and learn different skills, it encouraged me to register and grab this opportunity. Thankfully, I was accepted!
The reason why I chose Table 1: Political Activism and Participation was because I wanted to develop my growing interest in politics as a whole. When I was a kid, I found the topic to be intimidating and I associated it with memorizing constitutions, reading books, and having debates on a daily basis (quite scary for a seven year old girl, if you ask me). However, when I entered college, as cliche as it may sound, I realized that politics is a lot more than what I have imagined and I found myself more interested in the subject. Of course, what better way to nurture this interest than join a table which focuses on understanding why people engage in politics.
It is quite sad that this conference would be held virtually but I still hope that I would be able to make friends and both with my fellow participants, table chiefs and sub-chiefs, and committee members. I also plan to share the knowledge and skills I will learn in this conference to my family, friends, and peers so that they may be able to help others realize that they should also actively engage in and discuss the different global issues we face for the betterment of the society.