Future social workers were reminded of the importance of field practice and their commitment to society at the recent Paghayo 2026, the pinning, living commitment, and passing-of-the-torch ceremony of the UP Diliman (UPD) Department of Social Work (DSW).
It was no less than social work icon and retired DSW professor Thelma Lee Mendoza who motivated the senior BS social work students to look into field instruction as an opportunity to “learn, do, [and] learn.”
According to the UPD College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), the concept of “lean, do, learn” is “a continuing cycle in which students apply what they have learned, discover new realities through practice, and return to learning with deeper understanding.”
In her message to the students, Mendoza shared lessons that students can carry with them throughout their fieldwork and their profession.
Mendoza said there will always be people whose needs and problems are beyond their own capacity to resolve such that social workers are needed.
“Wherever people live, whether in remote barangays or highly urbanized communities, there will be individuals who need support in navigating circumstances they cannot overcome alone,” Mendoza explained.
She encouraged the students to understand people within the context of their realities and to resist the impulse to judge. Mendoza emphasized that understanding does not mean approving everything a person does, but rather knowing the hows, whys, and what circumstances brought the person into his/her situation.
Mendoza shared “every person has the capacity to become what they are capable of becoming, yet many people cannot reach that possibility without support, guidance, and opportunity. At its best, social work helps people recognize the possibilities that remain before them, not by living another person’s life or rescuing them, but by helping them discover their own capacity for change.”
She reminded the students that what they learned in class will now be applied in the field. She said “it is in this movement between learning and practice that professional growth happens.”
Meanwhile, UPD Class of 2026 Representative Janine Sofia Umiten urged the students to return to the fundamental values of the profession—the dignity and human rights of the people they serve—whenever they face uncertainties.
Paghayo 2026 affirmed the senior social work students’ readiness to engage in supervised professional practice and their commitment to walk alongside people as learners, facilitators, and partners in the pursuit of social justice and human dignity.
Ninety students, accompanied by their families, faculty, and agency supervisors; received their pins from CSWCD Dean Justine Francis Leon V. Nicolas, DSW Chair Hazel Cometa-Lamberte, and Field Instruction Coordinator Caroline L. Balmes.
The pinning ceremony marked the students’ formal transition from classroom learning to actual practice settings.
Another part of Paghayo is the Passing of Living Commitment, marked by a bamboo plant.
According to the CSWCD, Senior Social Work Student Representative Airish Gale De Guzman ceremonially turned over the bamboo plant to Junior Social Work Student Representative Jhaelo Czar Angara. This represented “the continuing commitment of the students in passing on the experiences and support to the next batch of Field Instruction students.”
Closing Paghayo 2026, Cometa-Lamberte said the event was formed alongside and headed by students, “I hope this also becomes the beginning of a stronger connection among our different batches—hindi magkakahiwalay, Kundi may ugnayan, saluhan, at pagtutulungan. In time, I hope these bonds will also become a strong foundation for an active and engaged community of social work alumni.”
Paghayo 2026 was held at the CSWCD Bulwagang Tandang Sora on Sept. 23. — With a report from Ana Teresa Prondosa, CSWCD
