For the Youth, By the Youth: An Agribusiness Intern’s Journey in Facing Self-Doubt

I am Chelsea Mayano, an Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship student from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and my internship journey was all about proving myself wrong. 

Coming into this internship, I was full of self-doubt. I doubted whether I would even get accepted by a company, considering I had nothing to show on my resumé. I doubted whether the knowledge I had was enough to make a substantial contribution, and whether I was truly ready to step into the real world and work on things bigger than myself. Fortunately, PPSA chose me and helped me prove myself wrong. 

The team's warm welcome and relaxed office environment helped me ease into the work. Collaborative projects with my co-interns made the learning curve feel less overwhelming, and figuring things out together made the process more fun. 

One of the highlights of my internship was organizing the webinar "Usapang Kabataan: Youth in Agriculture." When I learned I was to spearhead the event, self-doubt crept in again. But the team and my co-interns reminded me that I wouldn't be doing it alone. 

Through this project, I picked up valuable skills, including designing the program flow, coordinating with speakers and other stakeholders, and facilitating the Q&A session as moderator. Seeing the webinar come together and become an avenue for meaningful discussion that reached a nationwide audience was one of the proudest moments of my internship. 

Beyond the technical knowledge I gained about the agriculture industry in our country, PPSA gave me the chance to know myself better. I learned of my strengths and weaknesses. Of what I can do if pushed out of my comfort zone. And I think that was my most valuable takeaway from this journey. 

I learned that you don't have to feel ready to start. You just need to say yes to opportunities and put yourself in unfamiliar situations. You'll be surprised how things always turn out better than you expect.