As if being recently declared as the 2nd best Forestry school (out of 65) existing within the Philippines wasn't enough!
The VSU Forestry team solidified the status of the University as one of the premier schools for Forestry in the country as representatives garnered multiple awards during the newly concluded National Forestry Olympiad at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) from February 21 - March 1, 2024. Among the eight events that were competed by 22 schools, VSU brought two awards from the said sets of competitions; they claimed the 4th spot overall.
Declared as 2nd in Forest Surveying and 3rd in Leaf Identification, Whyz Calimbayan, Ma. Yvonne Palo (Juniors), and senior Jerome Lagahit were given multiple challenges in their quest to become champions in the Olympiad. Reserve Aaron Ken Lastimado, who is a second year, stood as support throughout the whole event.
When asked about the strategies adopted to approach the challenges, Calimbayan shared their plan during the Forest Surveying wherein "Two team members were tasked with calculating the values, while another member focused on calibrating our map or finalizing our answers on the answer sheets. This meticulous approach contributed to our close win in Forest Surveying, with a score gap of less than 1 point (or in decimals)". He further emphasized their unique approach by creating specific designations in every challenge for them to have areas of specialty and edge over other teams.
Similar to Calimbayan, Palo also mentioned their designation of tasks, she further explained, "We had been preparing for this event months before it started. Collaboratively, we functioned as a team, familiarizing each other's strengths and weaknesses and making efforts to improve upon them."
While teamwork is what Palo believed to be the factor for their success, Lastimado believed that it is the 'chemistry' with the team that allowed them to flourish, "Having chemistry between your teammates is very helpful when competing in the events."
However, while they were generally ready for the competition, Calimbayan also thought that they lacked review materials causing them to be less prepared than initially thought otherwise; he described the instances wherein the samples provided in the competition were unfamiliar to them. “You should’ve seen our faces when we encountered seeds that were as small as chocolate or milk powder", he added.
Defending and undefeated champion UPLB claimed the top spot once again; this was followed by the Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), and Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) who were declared as 1st and 2nd runner-up, respectively.
"I'm happy with the result. Out of the 22 participating teams, we secured the 4th position overall, which I consider a significant accomplishment for us. It was a great learning opportunity. Furthermore, we emerged victorious in two separate events, adding even more to our achievements", Palo said.
The National Forestry Olympian is a biennial event with this year's theme "Forests of Tomorrow: Navigating Sustainability Through Green Innovation". Organized by the UP Zeta Beta Rho Honor Fraternity and the UP Mussaenda Honor Sorority, NFO is exclusively for students who are officially enrolled in a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry. Delegates who join the said competition are expected to complete challenges on Forest Surveying, Geographic Information Systems, Identification of tree disease, leaf, wood, and seed, as well as Tree Mensuration, and conclude ultimately with a quiz show.
Lastimado claims, "Results showed that we are capable of competing head to head with the top schools that excel in the field of [F]orestry...I'm very proud of our team [on our] achievements."