15/10/2026
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๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
FEATURE | ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ: ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐โ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ
โ๐ ๐ฟ๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ง๐โ: ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ, ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐
๐๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ป ๐๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ & ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐จ๐ข๐ฎ
At the University of Mindanao, where students navigate the demands of academic life and prepare for their future careers, educators play an essential role in shaping not only their knowledge but also their character. Among them is Maโam Jenifer Libres, APR, a professor of GE2 โ Purposive Communication with Interactive Learning, whose commitment to excellence extends beyond the four walls of the classroom. Known for her high standards and firm approach to teaching, she challenges students to recognize their potential, push beyond their limitations, and develop the confidence necessary to thrive in the professional world.
โ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒโ is a statement that reflects Maโam Libresโ high expectations for her students. These words challenge them to go beyond what is merely acceptable and strive for work that reflects their full potential. For students, this may initially sound intimidating, particularly when preparing for speech performances and other classroom activities. However, behind these expectations is a genuine desire to help students recognize their capabilities and improve their skills. Rather than allowing them to settle for what is merely acceptable, she encourages them to value preparation, creativity, and continuous improvement.
As an Accredited Public Relations (APR) professional, Maโam Libres brings industry standards into her teaching, emphasizing the importance of effective communication in academic and professional settings. Through public speaking exercises, interactive activities, and practical scenarios, she teaches students to communicate with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Her approach demonstrates that communication involves more than delivering a speech or presenting information. It requires critical thinking, adaptability, and the ability to connect with an audience. By encouraging students to step beyond their comfort zones, she helps them develop skills that will remain valuable long after graduation.
While her high expectations may contribute to the perception that she is a strict professor, students who have experienced her teaching recognize another side of her personality. Beyond the discipline and standards she upholds is an educator who understands the importance of empathy, patience, and personal connection. She recognizes that students face different circumstances and challenges, knowing when to correct their mistakes, offer guidance, or extend understanding. Her approach reinforces the idea that teaching is not solely about demanding excellence but also about helping students achieve it.
Her care for students is also evident in the simplest interactions. In a university environment where it can be easy to feel unnoticed amid busy schedules and crowded hallways, Maโam Libres makes an effort to approach and greet her students. These seemingly ordinary gestures create a sense of familiarity and belonging, reminding students that they are more than names on an attendance sheet or faces in a classroom.
โ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ, ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข. ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐โ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐จ,โ one student shared, reflecting on the impact of these small but meaningful moments. Such experiences reveal how an educatorโs influence can extend beyond academic performance, reaching students on a personal level through simple acts of recognition and kindness.
Beyond her lessons in Purposive Communication, Maโam Libres also shares stories about her own college experiences after class. These conversations offer students a glimpse into the realities of university life, allowing them to learn from experiences that textbooks alone cannot fully explain. Through these stories, she becomes more than a professor who evaluates performances and assigns requirements; she becomes a mentor who helps students understand the challenges, uncertainties, and possibilities that accompany their college journey.
Her willingness to share these experiences also gives students a different perspective on the professor whom many initially perceive as intimidating. By allowing them to see the person behind the professional title, she bridges the distance that can sometimes exist between instructors and learners. In these conversations, lessons about perseverance, responsibility, and personal growth emerge naturally, complementing the academic knowledge students gain inside the classroom.
For students taking GE2 โ Purposive Communication with Interactive Learning, her influence lies not only in the skills they develop but also in the standards they learn to uphold. Her insistence on quality encourages them to become more receptive to constructive criticism, more confident in expressing themselves, and more willing to improve despite their shortcomings. Although meeting her expectations can be challenging, the process also gives students an opportunity to discover abilities they may not have recognized in themselves.
This Teacherโs Celebration , Maโam Jenifer Libres deserves recognition not only for her professional expertise and dedication to teaching but also for the encouragement and understanding she extends to her students. Her words, โI donโt want mediocre,โ serve as a reminder that growth often begins when individuals are challenged to do better than they initially believe they can. Through her discipline, practical instruction, and meaningful connections with students, she demonstrates that effective teaching involves more than delivering lessons; it means preparing individuals to face the world with confidence and competence.
Ultimately, Maโam Libres leaves her students with lessons that reach far beyond textbooks, speech performances, and classroom requirements. She teaches them to communicate with purpose, accept challenges with determination, and pursue excellence without losing sight of empathy. As students continue their academic journeys and eventually enter their chosen professions, the values she instills may remain with them as lasting reminders of an educator who refuses to let them settle for less than their best.
๐ผ๏ธ Renz Jacinto & Bienna Santos, Creatives Committee Members