Living an Impact-Focused Life

What’s your Why?

I believe I was put on this earth to make a difference. As much as it sounds cliche, I think everyone is put on earth to make a difference. In my case, I love to make people happy, I love to see people smile, and I think I make a difference by always trying to do things that bring happiness to others. 

My purpose is to help people that didn’t have the same opportunities as me. This varies in many parts of life, such as providing education for people who didn’t have the chance to have a good education or helping people find their spiritual path that didn’t receive the same spiritual guidance as me.

I believe (my core values) in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, which has shaped most of my core values. I believe everyone deserves forgiveness. I believe you should always see things as a means of learning. I believe the most important thing for a human to be happy is to surround themselves with good friends and family members. 

The one thing I must do before I die is see my family happy and united. 

My advocates and supporters all believe that I am a good person. 

The evil I want to eradicate in this world is poverty and spiritual deadness. 

I want to work in order to make the lives of others better. 

 

Walk the Talk – Your How

If you are truly committed to your Why, you show it in your everyday behavior. It is all air until you do it. Working from your Why, How do you prove that you are true to your Why in all you do?

I always try to see the best in people and in every situation. 

I never assume the worst. 

My work style is to work as a team and learn from each other.

I try to treat people with as much love as I can. 

I approach problems by crying and praying. And then come up with a step-by-step solution. 

Victories are a time to thank God. 

If someone attacks my point of view I listen and ignore it as long as they are respectful.

If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will not do anything if it doesn’t negatively affect me or other people. I will certainly say something or do something if it is. 

 

Your Credibility – Your Whats 

You have spent some considerable time at Lehigh, and specifically in the Impact Fellowships, on many whats. Your whats include lab research, formal presentations, writing research papers, engaging with people in other cultural contexts, building prototypes, designing and building systems, raising funds, hiring employees, etc. The whats you have collected along the way are critical to your credibility when you are entering the workforce or applying to the best graduate and professional schools. They signify a credible currency to which organizations can assign value. Create a list of your Whats that are truly reflective of your Why & How. You did these things because you believe (Why) and you acquired them in the following (How) manner. These are examples you can use in interviews.

What Have I Done	List of Experiences, Accomplishments, and Lessons Learned
Degrees, Minors, Certificates, Fellowships	Architecture, Permaculture Park, PlasTech Ventures, Woodshop Certification, Laser Cutter Certification, AccelerateX
Research Experiences	None 🙁
Inventions and Innovations	Automatic cutting machine.
(Social) Entrepreneurial Ventures	PlasTech and permaculture project.
Publications (Formal and Informal)	None 🙁
Formal Presentations (at Lehigh and Beyond)	Social Impact Fellowship Presentations, GHTC Presentations.
Awards and  External Recognition	GHTC award.

 

Articulating and learning from IF-related Experiences. For each of these prompts, we want you to identify one and only one specific and compelling event/incident/experience/moment and identify exactly how you grew personally and professionally through that moment.

 

Teamwork Experience (and Lessons Learned)	This semester I have gained a better sense of teamwork experience in this new project. My biggest takeaway is how important it is to have a support team and a good way to divide work so no one is overwhelmed and we can all learn from each other.
Conflict Resolution Experience (and Lessons Learned)	In my last project, my teammate and advisor weren’t very engaged in the project so I reached out to Khanjan and Bill for a meeting so we could reorganize our project. We came up with a solution and it worked at first until my teammate dropped out of the project. With this, I learned the importance of clearly communicating problems and coming up with a solution together.
Leadership Experience (and Lessons Learned)	During the GHTC conference, most of my teammates couldn’t stay for the whole time, so Jackson and I had to take the lead in representing our project. This was especially difficult for me because I had just joined the project and was still in the process of learning about it. This experience not only helped me build passion for this project and its goals, but also learn how to show confidence in situations where I am not confident in.
Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty (and Lessons Learned)	On the first day of class during the second semester of IF, I was told that my teammate had dropped out of the project and I was alone and couldn’t continue to work on it. I was given the choice to move to another project or also leave IF, and I was incredibly conflicted. I overrode my credits to be able to enroll in this class so I was feeling extremely overwhelmed and loaded with work, so leaving was an easy way to fix that and move on. However, I felt that during the last semester, I wasn’t able to apply my full abilities and knowledge to significantly help others as I intended when I applied, and I could not give up on this. I researched all the projects, talked to other students, talked to Bill, Eric, and Khanjan, and finally came to a conclusion. I ended up choosing a project where I was not only able to be pushed out of my comfort zone and learn from that, but also where I could explore more closely sustainability, which is a focus I want to take in my future career.
Personally Challenging Experience (and Lessons Learned)	I felt personally challenged when I first changed projects. Being new in the team while they were not only more knowledgeable regarding PlasTech, but were also already friends, was difficult. I often doubted my capabilities and compared myself to them which had a great impact on my mental health for a few weeks. I was extremely under pressure and did not feel welcomed, or wanted in the team. However, soon after, with some outside-of-class dinners and study sessions where we got to know each other better, this feeling slowly drifted away and now I am able to truly help and support my team. With this, I learned how people are naturally territorial and adverse to change, however, we should not tale this as a personal attack and simply give people time to adjust.
Cross-cultural Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Working with people from other countries, not only in the two projects I was in, but also during the case studies groups I learned many details about how other cultures work. For instance, I worked with someone who would never say sorry or thank you, which bothered me a great amount. I felt he was rude and began to build up a resistance against him. However, while we were talking one day he mentioned how in his country it is rude to say sorry or thank you and explained why, which truly enlightened me. I began to see him differently and understand his actions more clearly. I learned that we can never judge people based on our own preconceptions.
An experience that helped you connect your IF work to your discipline/major.	Honestly, nothing I do in IF, comes even close to my major, and that is one of the main reasons I wanted to do this project. In the same way, I was the only non-engineer in the AccelerateX program, I am one of the few people who are not engineers or health majors in IF. I think this leads me to have a greater understanding of interdisciplinary topics and perspectives and it certainly pushes me out of my comfort zone.
A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you could speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world, and make it better.	During the GHTC presentations, two of my teammates naturally took the lead in presenting the poster, although I offered to help, and expressed several times that I also wanted to present, I was refused to do so. With this, I felt like I wasn’t part of the team and I was merely there to shadow them. However, during the interviews for new members, most of the time I interviewed my interviewees alone, and that was when I first felt a true connection to my project. I was able to explain the venture, our goals, our experiences, and provide feedback to my team.
A moment where you felt like you were making the future – like you were creating something that had never before existed and would (or could) influence your future and that of others.	During the GHTC event, while individually talking to other participants about PlasTech, I noticed how revolutionary the project is. I have been surrounded by many fantastic projects for a year, so I am somewhat used to hearing how others are solving these global problems. However, while in Villanova I was able to put the project outside of the class and into the real world, and truly see how important it is.
A moment where you felt like you truly had a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized, interdependent world.	When I changed projects I could see that I was actually able to contribute to something that was directly impacting people’s lives. That was the first time this experience felt like it was worth all the hassle and pressure. As a team, we are able to build off of each other and together belong to a bigger purpose of helping communities in the Philipines.

Draw Your Life

What’s Your True North?

Create the story of your life. How do you want to contribute to the world through your talents, passions, and unique strengths? Think about your values, the roles you play, what gives you a sense of purpose, and ultimately, what you have to offer by being your best, authentic self. Draw a picture of your life as you envision it. Be remarkable. Be yourself.

Our slides

In the first presentation, we were given feedback to make the numbers more powerful and appealing. Specifically, we narrowed down the statistics that we highlighted on the opening slide, as we were given the feedback that we had too many statistics, which confused the audience. Apart from that, through personal and collective team reflection, we also changed a few other things in the slide deck. Noticeably, we made the slides more engaging, with more visuals and animations, while also decreasing the amount of text and making it simpler to understand by avoiding complicated vocabulary. For example, on the system slides, we added clarification bubbles, which also included how much we allotted from our budget to the different elements of the system. The more specific budget is still included on the slides via a linked spreadsheet.

During our second presentation, due to limited time, we were not given any feedback. There was only one question asked by Prof. Obeysekare regarding financial matters, which we answered by briefly explaining our budget sheet that we hadn’t had the opportunity to highlight before. Thus, we did not make any changes to our presentation as a consequence of direct feedback, as there were none. However, while watching other teams present we noticed some details we missed and would like to implement in our own presentation, which we did.

 

Identify the 10 toughest questions from the 14-page list for your project, and answer them in advance of your presentations.

What kind of literacy and numeracy do your customers have?

A high amount, literacy rates are high in the Philippines. The partners we worked with in-country generally understood basic finances and were certainly literate. The problem is that most of the people we worked with were more highly educated and higher up on the “totem pole,” so this could vary.

 

How do your customers make decisions?

Based on economic efficiency. Some people are too poor to care about the environment and selling sachets may not be financially worth it for them. Urban Poor Associates (UPA) cared mostly about uplifting low-income communities which can include environmental, financial, and social goals.

 

Can you provide examples of how your product/service/system was designed based on inputs from customers?

We talked to previous MRFs and places where we would potentially have a facility (like UPD). We also spoke to UPD, and they said that physical infrastructure (roof, walls, etc.) is very important for having a successful MRF. UPA also said getting the local community involved and working with specific families is vital.

 

What kind of risks will your initial customers be taking? How will you help them make the right decisions? How will you de-risk their engagement?

There is a high initial capital cost for customers because they have to buy the machines and also most likely build and/or upgrade other existing infrastructure. We will help them make the right decisions by being very involved in the process for the first few customers and learning from each other. We can de-risk their engagements by obtaining grants and funding that have “discretionary” funds in the event that initial investments fail.

 

How is your product better than the competition? By how much? What is the threshold at which your product’s superiority does not matter?

Our product is better than the competition because we actually address sachet plastic waste which makes up a plurality of the plastic waste in the Philippines. Our system is also more efficient. It is difficult to quantify just how efficient or better our system is, but based on the fact that 50% of the plastic in the Philippines is sachets, we should be able to collect and sell more products.

 

How does using your product make your customers feel?

We are not completely sure at this time but will most likely make them happy to know they are making an impact. During fieldwork, potential customers and partners were certainly interested in the product, but it is difficult to say how they would feel while using the product.

 

How reliable is your product? What happens when something goes wrong?

We cannot be absolutely sure how reliable our product is because we haven’t had a pilot facility yet. However, based on conversations with Resiclo, the plastic shredder/crusher is quite reliable and can go several years without needing its motor changed. If something went wrong, we would first talk with our actual customers and then put them in contact with our suppliers.

 

What is the difference between how your product works in the lab vs. in the field?

We cannot calculate how likely citizens are to recycle different types of plastic in the lab as it depends on specific citizens and circumstances. Another potential issue is that based on our lab theories, the plastic should be a certain level of cleanliness, but it is entirely likely plastic could be dirtier before and after washing than we assume.

 

How do changing demographics influence your venture?

As people get poorer, they may be more reliant on sachets, but their poverty also may affect their willingness to recycle. Generally, people of higher incomes are more willing to recycle because they have more time and resources to do so. We need to do more research on how the demographics of the Philippines are specifically changing and then factor them into our venture’s plans.

 

Will you build your own channels? Will you go to your customers? Will your customers come to you?

We will initially go to our customers to build connections and demonstrate our knowledge and value. However, after our first few customers show success, we plan to use word of mouth and the effects of our MRFs to spread the word. We also want to partner with larger governmental agencies, such as the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, to be signaling partners of our venture. Local governments can also spread our venture through policy diffusion between barangays and municipalities.

 

Write 3 elevator speeches about your project. Identify three different stakeholder groups and craft a different speech for each one. Use the “12-floor” (1-1.5 minute) format.

Jonathan Co/Sentinel Upcycling

PlasTech Ventures shares a common goal of applying innovative upcycling methods to provide business value. As a group, we are very acquainted with the technology and systems side of implementing micro-recycling facilities. Like you, we not only have expertise in recycling hard plastics but also multilayered sachets into high-quality, cheap products. Our approach supports Sentinel Upcycling’s goals by not only repurposing plastic waste into high-demand items such as eco-boards, small miscellaneous products, etc; but also research techniques to reinforce recycled plastic with glass fibers and other sustainable additives. Imagine what we could accomplish by joining forces to strengthen our processes, research, and ultimately impact. Together, we can build a sustainable model that transforms waste into a positive, valuable, profitable business model.

 

Urban Poor Associates

PlasTech Ventures shares a dedication to empowering communities by transforming environmental challenges into economic opportunities. We are deeply focused on implementing micro-recycling facilities capable of processing the plastic waste that clutters neighborhoods into practical, sellable products. These facilities bring jobs, new skills, and a reliable income source directly to local community members, turning waste into a productive asset. With a partnership alongside Urban Poor Associates, we could amplify the positive economic and social impacts, ensuring sustainable waste management solutions that foster local growth, resilience, and cleaner environments.

 

Quezon City

PlasTech Ventures shares Quezon City’s commitment to a sustainable, circular economy by repurposing waste plastics into high-value products. Our micro-recycling facilities are designed to process hard-to-recycle plastics like sachets and turn them into materials for infrastructure, household goods, and more. This system not only reduces the plastic burden on landfills but also creates jobs, providing economic benefits and promoting environmental stewardship. A partnership with Quezon City could position the city as a pioneer in sustainable urban waste management, showcasing how localized recycling can drive both economic and environmental gains, all while engaging local residents in impactful, community-centered solutions.