Nina is , 17 years old, a 12th grade student in the Philippines. Currently, we have eight subjects, namely: Health-Optimizing Physical Education, Media and Information Literacy, Entrepreneurship, Introduction to the Philosophy of a Human Person, Earth Science, Practical Research 2, General Physics, and General Chemistry. These are my answers to your questions.

What’s your favourite subject at school/college and why?

Introduction to the Philosophy of a Human Person is currently my favourite subject because it involves me expressing my views and perspective on the nature of a human person, as well as the current issues of society. It makes me feel heard and emphasizes the importance of youth participation towards a more equitable society.  It also makes me understand better as to how and why humans act a particular way, making me knowledgeable not only academically, but also practically since it helps me be more understanding of one’s behavior that leads me to less anger issues in my daily life.

What do you like most about your school/college? What would you like to change about it?

The prevalence of gender quality and gender sensitivity is what I like  the most about my school.  This progressive habit promotes an atmosphere where every individual feels acknowledged and valued, irrespective of their gender identity, which is one of the solutions for making the school a more nurturing space for us. As the current president of the first federated Supreme Secondary Learner Government of our school, students often seek our council regarding the problems in the school community, and the most common complaint we receive is regarding the students’ welfare wherein fights outside the school and robbery of fellow student’s belonging occurs often. I would like to change the safety measures of our school where students are safe, both inside and outside of the school premises. Our council have passed resolutions and proposed various programs regarding this issue, however, most of them were impossible due to the school’s low funds.

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What is your dream job?

My dream job is to become a surgeon. As the eldest child of my family, I think that this would serve as a big step in giving my family the life they deserve despite of the long journey of becoming one. I am also fascinated with the human body and its functions which teaches me to give more emphasis of creating a healthier community.

What is the best thing about being a teenager in your country?

Being a teenager in the Philippines is fun since we are free to do, speak, hear, or watch whatever we want even though we often face generalizations and age discrimination from older age groups.

What languages do you speak?

Filipino and English are the languages I speak.

What country would you like to visit and why?

Known for its bulb fields, windmills, and canals, the Netherlands is my ideal country to live in for its quality of living where the government seems to be doing its purpose properly and people have a stronger sense of community compared to living here in the Philippines wherein the government is a circus and people often observe crab mentality which hinders our development as one nation.

What is your favourite food?

Tofu is my favourite food.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

My favourite TV show is Netflix’s Sex Education since it reduces the stigma surrounding the issues teenagers often go through such as sexuality and trauma. It teaches me that what I feel is normal and I should not be ashamed of it. It teaches me that I am not the only one going through some particular problems which gives me comfort knowing that I am not alone.

Where is your quiet place that you go to relax?

My bedroom is the only quiet place I can go to to relax because my country lacks open spaces and public areas one can go for relaxation despite of its abundance of its natural resources.

If you could only take one thing on a desert island what would you take?

I would take a book of the complete poems of Emily Dickinson since her works inspire me and push me to write better. She also strengthens my sense of feminism which I think is a way to connect deeper with people I encounter.

If you could have dinner with any one celebrity, who would you choose?

I would choose to have a dinner with Kim Kardashian, not because of her money and popularity, but because of the challenges she went through to be who she is today and how she managed to be strong despite of all the negativity people throw to her.