IB PYP Exhibition Testimonials
Strength in Struggle
by Maxine Uzziel Cawaon
Have you ever felt like you could never make it to the end? Or overthought something that hasn’t even happened yet?
My name is Uzziel Cawaon, and that’s exactly what went through my mind as we approached the IB PYPx.
The closer we got to the final unit, the more I worried. I began to think I couldn’t make it. But then I realized—this is what I had been preparing for: how to research, design, and work effectively with others. I had support—my family, friends, and groupmates—and that helped me overcome my overthinking.
Along the way, I learned that working with others made me more open-minded. Without my classmates’ creativity, I wouldn’t have discovered so many new ideas or areas to improve. Being with others shaped who I am today.
Because of my research, I learned more about the world—its history, innovations, creative minds, and issues. I was able to take action with what I learned, and now I’m more aware of pollution, litter, and endangered animals. This made me more thoughtful, even in my smallest actions.
One memory I won’t forget is ANTI-BULLYING week. Talking to students gave me a new perspective on how deeply bullying affects others. It helped me listen more.
I’m most proud of finishing the PYPx. It brought (me) relief after all the work, stress, and research. It was the hardest task in my IB journey—yet the most rewarding. Knowing we made even a small difference makes it worth it.
To future PYPx students: don’t worry too much about the future. If you spend your time fearing how things will turn out, you’ll lose the time to actually change them. We often forget to live in the present. As Tolkien said,“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
I hope this exhibition gives you a new perspective on how to care for and share our planet—and inspires you to make a difference. May the memories and lessons stay with you.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the exhibition!
Together for Tomorrow
by Tywin Ang
Humanity has tons and tons of problems, and this is a sad truth. This is what I realized throughout our PYPx journey. These problems need to be solved, which is why the United Nations created the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
As students, it may seem like we can't do much, but surprisingly, there are many things we can do—we can research, spread awareness, and do something special for this planet that God has given us.
PYPx has given us a good opportunity to grow as learners and make a difference in our communities. We’ve become more aware of global issues and what people are going through. As we researched our chosen topics, we developed skills and attributes that equip us to take action. We became risk takers and persevered through challenges. For example, my group struggled in finding sources for LOI 3. To counter this, we became thinkers and tried different searches with similar key points. We also developed communication skills by consulting our mentor, collaborating with peers, interviewing a resource person, and talking to others during our Taking Action. We became more caring, patient with one another, listened more, and learned to care for the environment.
The part I enjoyed most was Taking Action. After learning about the problems of life under water and life on land, we brainstormed ideas to help. We first thought of selling drinks, but realized we couldn’t make enough during lunchtime, so we scrapped the idea. We then planned to make posters, but weren’t sure if people would read them. That’s when we decided to do class presentations and posters to make more people aware of the problem. This worked spectacularly, and we enjoyed creating the designs and content.
We’re thankful for everyone who joined us in this journey. I’m thankful for my group mates—it was fun working with them. We also thank our mentor, Mr. Graida, and our teachers for their help and advice. Our group worked well together, and our mentor’s comments helped improve our research, action plans, and panel board. This experience inspired me to keep making a difference. I learned not to be a freeloader, but to be someone who helps, even a little.
As we near the end of our PYP Exhibition, some of us may feel relieved, but most of us feel proud. We raised awareness, and we’ll continue to expand our influence. To future PYPx students—don’t be scared, trust your mentor, and work well with your groupmates. Before I step off this stage, I want to say—don’t lose hope. If you get the chance, do something—donate to charities or support the SDGs in any way you can.
Thank you, students, parents, and teachers!
Guardians of the Green
by Ember Prinze Wong
My name is Ember Wong, and I am thrilled to introduce you to my IBPYPx experience.
My journey began with discovering my passion for the environment. After considering various SDGs, I chose SDG 15: Life on Land, focusing on deforestation and bird loss. With guidance from Mrs. Manquiquis and Mr. Dadap, my group selected bird loss, an urgent issue needing attention. We researched bird sanctuaries, which protect endemic and migratory birds, and learned how essential they are to our ecosystem.
We interviewed Mrs. Cristina R. Cinco from the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and visited Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park. Our next stop was La Mesa Ecopark, where we discussed the role of the community in maintaining eco-parks. We interviewed Mr. Chris Murphy Amparo, the Operations Manager, and signed a Letter of Agreement to support biodiversity protection in the parks.
We visited the Bird Sanctuary at Manila Ocean Park, capturing photos of birds and reflecting on the beauty of nature. To raise awareness, we sold postcards, stickers, and keychains featuring bird photography taken by Michael Lu and ourselves.
Through this project, I learned about Life on Land, research, communication, and self-management. It was challenging, but with God’s guidance, my group successfully completed our work. I realized that passion makes the experience meaningful, and small efforts can have a significant impact. Confidence grows through experience, and taking action, no matter how small, contributes to something bigger.
I thank Mrs. Manquiquis, Ms. Sumpay, Mr. Dadap, all our teachers, our parents, and everyone who supported “Guardians of the Green.” Our fundraiser raised P10,675, which we are donating to Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetlands Park. Please visit our booth, scan the QR code, and like and subscribe!
To God be all the glory!
Sparking Change, Spreading Hope
by Alyssa Grace Ng
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Hello everyone! I’m Grace.
People talk about change, but making change happen comes hand in hand with that. It’s staying at the center of everything and anything, directing the flow of our future. The time we have spent making our panel boards, when we were practicing our mock presentations, going to places, and taking action, were things that I had never thought of doing. But, now that I’ve done them, I’ve realized that thinking I could never change was stopping me from changing the world we live in, making an effort to work together as one.
It was challenging to have to go talk to other people, promote our selling, having to work on our research paper, as well as juggling the other tasks I was given. But, I always made sure that I finished my tasks to the best of my ability, no matter how hard it was. Now, looking back at the headaches, sleep-deprived nights, and frustrating times when I would get angry at the simplest of things, every time I persevered, I would feel a sense of accomplishment, happiness, and remembrance of those tiny rainbows in my life amidst those challenges.
The most exciting moments during my entire PYPx journey are when you see the spark you ignited spread from one person to another. I loved working together, even though the disputes we had slowly broke our friendships, we overcame them, and we became stronger as one. Creating central ideas, picking a topic, thinking about what we wanted to do, writing our outline then turning it into a research paper, selling kamote krisps, buying the materials, finishing our Taking Action—these are all beautiful memories now. But our PYPx journey doesn’t have to end now. You can continue your legacy, spreading hope with each step you take. Hope is the spark that ignites our heart, even when the world seems to dim its light.
After realizing and researching more about resource gaps, I wanted to take action and decided, along with my group, to donate public educational resources to a public school.
One moment I’ll always remember is going to be the day we donated the resources we bought through our selling, donations, the fruit of our labor, when we visited the public school, met new people, and most of all, when we saw their happy faces. Seeing them smile brought a smile to my own face. You know, I can relate a lot to this quote made by Spike Milligan— "Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu. When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too."
This PYPx experience, which I am sure is true for most of you, gave me the inspiration and hope I needed to start being a beacon of hope and light for others through my actions. One advice I’d give to the future PYPx students would be this—the same way a tree starts as a seed, our legacy as PYPx students is the seed that leads towards a future world in harmony.
