SEVEN students from the UST Junior Marketing Association (JMA) reclaimed the top spot for the University during the 33rd Agora Youth Awards, the annual recognition program for marketing students.
The team, composed of Naj Fernando, Patricia Bagsic, Trisha Mariano, Phrileane Sideño, Gregore Valencia, Gellea Barrera, and Lyzza Del Rosario, won “Most Outstanding Marketing Students in the Philippines – JMA Category” out of 10 finalists last Aug. 8.
The marketing students presented an advocacy aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the United Nations, highlighting artificial intelligence and ethical leadership as a tool for advancing progress among marginalized communities.
The 10 JMA finalists presented their marketing plans to a panel of judges.
Fernando, the team leader and president of UST JMA, said the group’s inspiration for highlighting SDG 9, which pertains to industry, innovation and infrastructure, was rooted in marketing’s role as a “driver of innovation and progress.”
“We saw the potential to champion innovation not just in technology, but in mindsets—encouraging young people to see creativity as infrastructure, and sustainable progress as an attainable goal,” Fernando told the Varsitarian.
The team streamlined its projects to be “both socially relevant and creatively bold” to ensure that it resonates to the target audience, she said.
“We began by grounding ourselves in research, studying campaigns, understanding evolving industry standards, and identifying the gaps we could bridge,” she said.
Fernando said reclaiming the award after four years was “not a result of chance, but of an intentional and collective effort.”
The last time that UST marketing students earned first place in the category was in 2021 during the 29th Agora Youth Awards.
Organized by the Philippine Marketing Association, the 33rd edition of Agora Youth Awards was held at the BYD Aseana Manila Bay showroom. Czeantal Naomi P. Delos Santos
