AIMING to uplift and express appreciation through words and music, the UST Rotaract Club (RAC) launched the “Jingle Bell RAC” project as an early Christmas treat for nursing students.
The project hoped to make up for the lack of social interaction by dedicating music playlists curated by “secret senders,” said UST RAC – Nursing Unit president Mary Marjo Torremoro.
“We noticed that the pandemic really affected our mental and emotional health because we were deprived of social interactions,” she said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
“It’s very heartwarming na makatanggap ng songs. Sinakto rin namin siya for Christmas para mas ma-uplift pa yung season.”
Participants of the project were requested to either provide their personal playlists or choose from RAC’s curated lists via Google Forms.
The playlists are then processed together with their personal dedications and emailed by the club to their intended recipients.
The project received positive feedback from the nursing community as many students were thrilled to participate and convey their holiday greetings to their friends and fellow blockmates.
Third-year nursing student Andrea Gwyneth Oro, one of the recipients of the secret playlist dedications, shared how the project helped her through a rough week.
“After reading the message gumaan yung pakiramdam ko kasi ang sarap sa feeling na after a tiring day or habang gumagawa ako ng requirements, there’s someone out there that’s rooting for me,” she told the Varsitarian.
“It was very unexpected. To be honest, I broke down because I was really drained since I [had] so many quizzes and due dates that week,” she added.
Nursing junior Zysha Isabel Marquez, who received three playlists, said the project was the perfect way to express care to their peers.
“There’s limited ways to show someone na malayo sayo with care, so parang making a playlist out of nowhere and sending it is like a love language,” she said. “It makes you appreciate people more talaga … even without knowing who they really are.”
The project was supposed to launch during Mental Health Week in November but was postponed due to moratoriums and time constraints.
It was later moved to coincide with the final examinations week of nursing students.
“Giving love and showing appreciation is [something] na pwede nating ibigay sa mga tao [ng] libre at walang hinihinging kapalit,” project head Alma Marie De Castro told the Varsitarian.
The Jingle Bell RAC project ran from Dec. 3 to 6 and received over 320 playlist dedications. Judd Ericka Marie F. Crescini
