Students examining the photo exhibit. Photo taken from @ADDU_Official
Frozen moments kept in frames hung around and decorated the Rodriguez Hall, Community Center of the First Companions yesterday, Nov. 21, for everyone to see as Kaugmaran Pagpagahum Foundation Inc. launched a fund-raising photo exhibit featuring the works of Ms. Jelieta M. Walinski Ph.D, for the benefit of the lumad children residing in Marilog District, Davao City.
Walinski stated that the fund-raising event is for the education of the less privileged.
“Lumad man pud ko, Mandaya. And then nakita nako gyud ang akong sarili nganha sa mga lumad nga estudyante… Pobre kaayo mi. Unya nganong sa edukasyon pud padulong? Akong mama wala siya naka adto sa grade one. Wala gyud miskan grade one. Kuan pa siya, age of four, namatay iyang papa so sa kalisod wala jud siya nakatungtung sa eskwalahan mao na more ko na mu-focus, muhatag ngadto sa edukasyon sa kabataan sa lumad,” she said.
(I am also a lumad, a Mandaya. And I really saw myself in them, the lumad students… We were so poor. And on why this is all for education? My mother wasn’t able to attend grade one. None, even first grade. Whe she was four years old, his father died so because of poverty, she wasn’t able to go to school and that’s why I’m more focused on giving for the education of the lumad kids)
Walinski also shared that she thought that she might be able to sell her works and help others just as she was helped before back in her younger years. She struggled in her childhood and was away from her family at an early age to work and earn something to keep on going to school.
According to her, in shooting photos, patience and timing are key to capturing a great photo, as well as the settings of the camera and the use of editing software.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait; the moment is there. Click! And you capture the moment and that moment will last forever,” she said with a smile.
The photo exhibit was a form of giving back to the ones who helped her before, the RGS sisters. But, it wasn’t just about giving back, it was “giving back and paying it forward” and that “to reach the stars is to be selfless and help others reach for their star.”
‘To Reach the Stars’ is her lead photo for the exhibit. The photos showcased were her most awarded works.
The photo exhibit is the first ever photo exhibit she’s had. It started yesterday and will last until Nov. 26. All proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to the lumad children residing in Marilog.
Walinski holds a Doctorate of Education and is a product of New York Institute of Photography, a graduate of the courses professional photography and digital photography. She only took two years to finish both courses.
The event was made possible in partnership with the Kaugmaran Pagpagahum Foundation, Inc. and the Religious of the Good Shepherd Congregation along with Ateneo de Davao University.