News and Updates
Ateneo GSB launches its first-ever Hero Student Leader
To be a better leader for others means you have to know yourself better.
This is the mantra that Ateneo GSB Student Council President Shannen Tan goes by as she wholeheartedly accepts her role as the main person in the list of officers for 2020-2021.
Shannen believes that the first step in being able to perform any leadership position is to embrace the concept of Cura Personalis. Cura Personalis or “care for the entire person” is something that she advocates in in her role not just as the Student Council President of Ateneo GSB but as how she runs Mezzo Hotel in Cebu where is currently the President as well.
Shannen is the first-ever featured Hero Student Leader for Ateneo GSB and we were able to get a chance to interview her. Here’s a snippet of the interview that we had with the AGSB Student Council President:
Ateneo GSB: What is your current profession? What is your designation?
Shannen: I am currently the President of our family-run business, Mezzo Hotel, which opened in 2017. I manage day-to-day operations and contribute to the strategic direction of the company.
Ateneo GSB: What, for you, is being a Student Leader?
Shannen: I am Shannen and I am an Ateneo GSB Student Leader, being a leader is a privilege, not only am I given the privilege to be of service, but I am also given the opportunity to learn much from the whole experience.
Ateneo GSB: What has Ateneo GSB Taught you?
Shannen: Ateneo GSB has taught me that there really is wisdom in relearning. Sometimes, I cannot help but think to myself that many of the things that I have learned so far are already familiar, given my undergraduate degree in accountancy. However, with the sharing of insights from my professors and classmates coming from different industries, I have reached a higher level of learning in the process.
Ateneo GSB: What is your program and why did you choose it?
Shannen: My Program is MBA Standard and I have applied it in my career/ profession and this has helped me by being more strategic and intentional in terms of what I do in the workplace. This means being more thoughtful about my actions and its potential impact in the workplace and to all stakeholders involved.
Ateneo GSB: What is the meaning of MAGIS?
Shannen: Magis is continuous improvement, I show Magis by being open-minded and by striving to do more. Though small, the little but gradual changes that I embrace in my day-to-day life will mean so much more in the bigger picture. This can start to as little as reflecting a minute longer, extending my patience a minute longer, or even loving myself a minute longer.
Ateneo GSB: How do you exemplify being a Student Leader? Can you enumerate it?
Shannen: I exemplify through the following:
- Being attentive to the needs of the student body. For example, responding to student queries in official communication channels in a timely manner, even though how trivial it seems, is our way of being one with the students especially with the adjustments needed in the online set-up.
- Seeing through the lens of a student. The one thing that has changed after becoming a student leader is that I have the privilege of making a bigger impact. With this, I try to revisit the things I would do if I had the chance to change something. For instance, listening to the plights of the students in the enrollment process through a survey and processing the data gathered to make it more relevant to make the needed changes. This of course goes along with having a good working relationship with the student body and admin.
Ateneo GSB: What is your advice to those aspiring to be a student leader like you?
Shannen: The first step to becoming a student leader is embracing cura personalis – knowing one’s self better. As you know yourself better, the more you can be a better leader for others. The next step is humility, acknowledging that every process must be taken from a beginner’s mindset as we will never have the luxury of knowing everything. Finally, the key is time management. Having to juggle a full-time job, MBA studies, and being a student leader altogether is not easy but knowing yourself enough, being humble enough to know your limit, and going from there will allow you to function more effectively.
