An Immersive Cultural Experience: HPAIR According to BA Delegates

Curious about the HPAIR 2016 Asia Conference? Hear about it straight from BA’s very own delegates Neil Abanador, Celine Calma, and Carissa Lim.

HPAIR, which stands for Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations, is the largest Asian conference duly organized by the faculty and students of Harvard University. It is a semi-annual event: one for Asia Conference and the other is a Harvard Conference. Both aim to gather all sorts of leaders across the world and engage them in a highly proactive, intellectual discussion that targets to solve various relevant suppressing issues.

• Why did you decide to participate in HPAIR?

Celine: Actually, I was invited by someone I knew to apply so I did. It seemed like a great opportunity and I wanted to meet new people from different countries.

Celine Calma (on the right) with her fellow delegate © HPAIR

Carissa: I know someone who went before.

It was a chance to go out and see the world, even if it meant sacrificing acads. You can never replace the relationships you build.

Neil: Honestly speaking, I joined HPAIR just out of curiosity. Well at first, my attention got caught by how prestigious its organizers were. But then, I found myself looking for more information regarding the said event and it became more interesting as they have a specific track in line with my degree. I wanted nothing more than having myself immersed into a different cultural experience.

• While answering the application form, did you get an inkling of the type of people they were looking for?

Celine: They were really particular with the delegates they wanted. We had to disclose our GWA, answer three essay questions, among other requirements. You can tell they want a diverse audience.

Carissa: True. I applied for a scholarship for the conference and that added another layer of work. I was asked to submit another essay and attend a round table interview with other applicants. The people I was with during then were awe-inspiring. Some had founded their own NGOs. Others interned at the White House and/or the UN.

Neil: No, since it’s my first time to apply for such event, I’ve got no background as to what type of applicants they were actually looking for.

• Which among the benefits was the most appealing?

Celine: There were a lot of appealing benefits, such as the Career Fair, but the most appealing to me was the chance to meet other people. I wanted to learn from and make friends with people of different backgrounds, fields of study and cultures.

Carissa: Same. You don’t always get the chance to discuss national issues with an international crowd.

Neil: I think the panel sessions were the most beneficial mainly because all issues being discussed were streamlined to my current chosen field, thus, gaining new perspective as well as awareness. You get a chance to build relationships (sometimes, long-lasting friendships) among different nationalities! Not only did I get to know them personally but also the culture of their countries.

• Which speaker did you learn the most from?

Celine: It’s hard to choose because each speaker had something relevant to share, but if I have to pick, it would be Ms. Tawakkol Karman, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Her talk was focused on women and youth as leaders of change. What struck me the most was her perspective on dreaming. She had this really contagious passion. She said,

“When you say you can’t, it’s just the excuse of lazy people… Your capability is defined by your ability to dream… He who has no dream today will be nothing tomorrow.”

Ms. Tawakkol Karman (on the left) at HPAIR 2016 © HPAIR

Carissa: Ms. Shukla Bose. Her talk was relatable because she used to be on the Board of Directors for a hotel group in the US then she saw that she had to give back to society if there was an opportunity to do so. She said,

“If you have passion, perseverance, and patience you can make anything work.”

Celine: Oh yeah! She also saved all her money and used that to start an NGO which provides a lot, such as food and education for less fortunate children and livelihood programs.

Neil: Actually, all of them! I can’t specify who’s better than who because HPAIR got a diverse set of speakers, all of whom you can get so much learning from!

• How was the experience?

Celine: It was so nice to meet people from various countries whose cultures I had no idea about.

Carissa: It was fun! During International Night, Filipinos were giving outchicharon and even someone who wasn’t Korean was dressed up as a character from Descendants of the Sun.

Carissa Lim (on the right) at International Night © Carissa Lim

Neil: Totally amazing!!! One funny incident was getting lost from the pre-conference tour. I, together with other Filipino delegates, actually got left behind. We were taking some pictures for a long time to the extent that we didn’t notice them leaving the area (hey, we’re also tourists!). Luckily, with the help of a map and the lady at an information desk in the mall nearby, we got back to the host university safe and sound.

• How did you balance your academics while you were in the conference?

Celine: It was a struggle since the conference was jampacked with activities. I was tired but I had to study, do org deliverables, and work on our assigned case for the case competition. I had to take an accounting quiz on the day I came back to Manila. But my batchmates were really supportive; they updated me on what happened while I was in Hong Kong and helped me catch up with the lessons that I missed

Carissa: Ibang klase yung pressure. Everyone was studying at the time and I brought my books thinking I would be able to review. Sobrang pretentious. I even tried listening in class through a video call, but it didn’t work. When I got back, I had to pick up momentum to study.

Neil: Our regular HPAIR day was fully booked. We went back to our dormitories past 10 in the evening and I usually opt to stay up late just to do any assignment or organization’s deliverables due within the period of my stay. I also brought some readings due on the next morning after my departure flight.

• Would you attend other conferences based on your experience in HPAIR?

Celine: I would if I had the money. It’s a good experience. You befriend someone and minutes later you’re adding each other on Facebook. The friends you make in HPAIR are those people who tell you to contact them when you’re in their country. They’re super willing to tour you around!

Carissa: I would.

Your network is your net worth and HPAIR includes you in an amazing community. If the only constraint is money, mapaparaanan din iyan.

Neil: I hope to attend other conferences if I will be successful again in looking for financial assistance. My HPAIR experience is indeed the most memorable yet because of so many first’s!

• Do you feel participating developed some aspect of you?

Celine: Yes. It improved my people skills. Then, for case competitions, developed how I worked in a team with people from different fields and backgrounds.

Carissa: Yup. I can now immediately connect with different people from different countries.

Neil: It helps me think globally. Like, during the talk, you would relate the events not only to your personal experience locally but you try to extend it and put it in the international context.

• What would you say to someone who asked about HPAIR?

Celine: Who doesn’t want to go abroad? Kidding aside, what’s unique about HPAIR is you get to meet people who each have something special to share.

Whether you’re looking for possible career opportunities or new friends, HPAIR has it all for you.

It was worth it because of the memories. When I’m stressed, I can’t help but reminisce on my time there. The next HPAIR conference will be in February so don’t miss out!

Carissa: When you leave your comfort zone, you realize that there’s a big world outside. You can’t wait for opportunities to fall on your lap. You have to take that extra step forward and use it to your advantage. Sometimes, you may have to sacrifice for those opportunities that can’t be traded. It’s worth it over acads.

5 years from now, will it matter if you received 5 points less in the quiz?

Neil: It’s highly recommended because not only can you get valuable learnings from all sorts of talks but also find a new set of friends/family from different parts of the world.

The whole HPAIR experience deserves a five-star rating!

Delegates at HPAIR 2016 © Kayla Miller

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Attending HPAIR truly sounds like an insightful experience. Events like it force us to widen our worldview, compel us to rethink our priorities, and inspire us to give back to society.

If you’ve recently joined competitions, attended conferences, taken part in external opportunities,. or just want to write for the Education and Research Portal, please do email us at upbac.educationandresearch@gmail.com so we can share your exciting story to the BA community.