SWU PHINMA opens Arts & Design program
Southwestern University PHINMA has been known in the region for its medicine, dentistry and allied health programs. The university’s goal is to make students be the best that they can be by providing hands-on-learning built on expertise. In line with its mission of developing those who are driven to become the best, especially in interest-driven careers, the university launches its Arts and Design senior high school programs with specialization in Fashion Design & Merchandising, Graphic Design and Multimedia.
“Through our newest SHS program offerings, SWU PHINMA paves the way for a chance to explore interest-based, non-traditional viable career options as a pathway to a brighter future,” said John Paul “Lakan” Olivares, SWU SHS Arts and Design program head.
“Design influences your choices every day compared to a politician. A fashion designer tells you what to wear, a graphic designer tells you what to eat, where to go, what to buy. Your mind is basically influenced by all design, on TV, in billboards, magazines,” he added.
SWU PHINMA offers an industry-based curriculum for senior high school students, which gives them the choice to continue to pursue higher education either in local colleges and universities, or abroad as a pathway to receive an international degree from collaborating institutions in US, UK and Australia. This is made possible through its affiliation to a Singaporebased specialized boutique design institution.
Students who are interested in this program but have hesitant parents were invited to the launch. Successful artists such as Jaykee Evangelista, Summit Media’s art director for 19 years, Cebuano fashion designer Hanz Coquilla, young contemporary artist Lhee Taneo, filmaker Ara Chawdhury and visual communicator Stephanie Tudtud told stories to inspire and assure not just the aspiring artists but also the parents, that art is for everyone and there is money in art. “When you want your children to be successful, don’t make them a better version of yourself. You have to help them become the best version of themselves,” Stephanie Tudtud advised the parents of the young artists.
Despite what the society dictates, SWU PHINMA pioneers the initiative to open more opportunities for driven Filipino youth to explore interest-based, non-traditional viable career options. Though this is a ‘Road Less Traveled’ they are confident that their students will be equipped with the right skills and training they need to succeed in their chosen path. “We believe in this generation’s capacity to achieve success no matter how unconventional their desired path may be, and with the opportunities being made available for them in various industries, we encourage parents of those who are driven to succeed in non-traditional careers to support their children,” Olivares concluded.