ON THE RADAR IMAGINES ...

MANILA, Philippines - As the saying goes, there’s always a time for everything. A time for studying, time for friends, time for family, and then there’s time for PLAY. There’s a hundred and one things to do these days. Our generation is blessed with an entire bevy of advancements that make play possible. Mobile technology allows us to enjoy music and games whenever, wherever. Sports such as frisbee, surfing, wakeboarding, and diving have become accessible and enjoyable as more and more peeps start to engage in them. When it comes to fashion, it is undeniable that more stylephiles are born as they find their own style savvy through the various retail brands and burgeoning online shops.

Samsung is the curator of the youth’s passions and imaginations with their youth-oriented campaign, Samsung I Imagine. Over 10,000 shout-outs were submitted by students all over the metro at the website www.samsungimagine.com sharing their shout-outs about TALK, PLAY, and LOVE. The winners received exciting prizes such as P30,000 cash, the Samsung Corby mobile phone, Samsung ST500 Dual LCD Camera, Samsung CLP-315 printer, Samsung LapFit LD190G monitor, 5 Samsung “I Imagine” hoodies to keep or giveaway, and P10,000 worth of gift certificates from Folded & Hung.

Best of all, they earn bragging rights as their shout-outs will be printed in trendy hoodies by cool and hip brand, Folded and Hung. The hoodies will be available by January 2010 in select Folded and Hung stores, proceeds of which will be donated to Samsung Hope which sends underprivileged kids back to school.

Last week, “On The Radar” profiled the winner for the TALK category, Isabela Martinez from University of Sto. Tomas (UST) who won with her shout-out, “I imagine and I will make it happen.” This week, we let you in on the imaginations and passions of Guille Francisco, 19 y.o, taking up AB in Economics from University of Sto. Tomas (UST) who won in the PLAY category with his shout-out: “I Imagine our generation united in one beat.”

What do you enjoy most about school?

There is always something new every day — new discoveries, thoughts, experiences and memories.

What are the things you firmly believe in?

I believe in destiny, that we will be walking along our own paths and that we will be involved in certain events, making certain decisions and meet certain people at a certain time, certain place and certain reason concerning one’s self and his/her relation to others.

What are you passionate about?

I have this passion for the Arts, in photography and multimedia arts, passion for learning by which I enjoy studying to discover new ideas and thoughts, and the passion for leadership and service being a student leader.

At this age, what do you think is life’s most important lesson?

“God doesn’t give problems that one can’t solve.”

 At our age, our perspective in dealing with problems and challenges is what I believe is an important lesson. We must learn to have that courage to face challenges and to look above to see the vast blue sky — to see hope in every problem.

What are you most grateful for?

My life. I am grateful for everything that has happened in my life. If not even for my own mistakes and misleadings, I will not be the person I am today (and probably I may not have won this contest after all.)

Describe yourself in one word.

Persistent. I continuously refuse to give up, and still fight amidst all the opposition and challenges that lies along my path.

What is the one thing that not a lot of people know about you?

I guess not everyone can see how I deal with issues in my life in a serious way, a different and deep perspective of a person too friendly and active from a first glance.

How do you see yourself in five years?

For now, I see myself pursuing higher studies, working as an economist and probably a part-time instructor in a university. Though still, I may be inclined towards activities related to art and photography.

How did you know about the Samsung I Imagine Shout-out Making contest?

Through their TV ad.

How did you come up with your statement? What was your inspiration?

Music served as my inspiration, wherein I used the word “Beat” that implied two thoughts which I incorporated in my statement — the beat of music and the beat of our hearts.

How important is it for the society to hear the voice of the youth?

Youth serves as the source of hope and inspiration for change. It is perhaps us, the youth, who can make the change that our parents dream for our society.

Describe the feeling when you learned that out of 10,000 entrants, you won the contest.

I thought winning in this contest seemed too far to be possible for me. I couldn’t believe that I really had won the contest at first, but then I feel so much blessed and grateful being chosen among thousands who have joined.

How do you feel about the Samsung I Imagine campaign as an avenue for youth expression?

This campaign has imbued the spirit of expression, awakened the thoughts and insights among the youth. This has also allowed the youth to partake in what I have imagined, that our generation is united in a beat — the beat to express their imagination.

In your own little ways, how can you turn your imagination (your shout-out) into reality?

Having one beat amongst the youth is not that impossible, perhaps all we need is a common call for our society’s challenge for us.

Whether through sports, fashion, or the arts, as long as we have a common goal, we can be united in one beat. Perhaps now is the time! Imagine how fulfilling that will be!