This Faculty Member's
CLASS PICTURE The author and her mentors and peers in class at the UE Graduate School: (standing, from left) Prof. Beth Flores, Dr. Janet Pinlac, Prof. Cely Enterina, Prof. Regie Pineda, Prof. Peter Go-Monilla, Prof. Al Nolasco, Prof. Romy Martin, Prof. Sally Jacinto, Dr. Joycelyn Go-Monilla, Mrs. Alice Mirafuente, Prof. Lota Billones, (seated, from left) Mrs. Juliet Sobejano, Dr. Alfonso Pacquing and Ms. Weng Calo
Graduate School
Experience
By Dr. Ma. Joycelyn A. Go-Monilla
I
remember clearly my first day in the UE Graduate School when one of my mentors, Dr. Mariano Guillermo, said, “The labor in your chosen program will be backbreaking, but the gains after you finish graduate education will be priceless.” I now understand the truth in those powerful words. As a faculty member in my seventh year in teaching psychology, I have observed that there are differences in the way faculty members prepare themselves to enter the academic world. While some receive a quality doctoral experience with excellent mentoring, others do not achieve the necessary skills and training needed to succeed in their teaching career. Faculty members pursue their doctorate for a variety of reasons: some for personal fulfillment, some for status, some for promotion and some for uniting to increase their salary. When I applied to the doctoral program in summer 2003, I wanted to become a professor of tertiary education. After many years
88
UE Today January-June 2010
of working in the government sector and hoping that I was in education, I decided to shift from human resource management to teaching in tertiary education. I always wanted to teach, so I started working on a master’s degree in psychology. That is, until I decided to become full-time professor and pursue a doctorate in education. In my mind, the responsibility of being accepted in the graduate program is tremendous and “backbreaking.” This further motivated me to study harder and finish and get the most out of my doctoral experience. In my doctoral defense, I wanted a dissertation adviser who would guide me through this experience. I selected Dr. Alfonso Pacquing because he was an exemplary mentor and advocates the professionalization of the teaching force. Thus, I was happy to be able to share some of my doctoral experiences, as well as what I have learned as a psychology professor. Teaching psychology has made me journey into a deeper understanding of the complexities of human behavior. It has made me realize that if a student’s mind gets corrupted by the kind of society that we have now, then everything else in this world falls