MANILA, Philippines - Dan Erwin Bagaporo, a 20-year-old senior nursing student at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), won first prize in the 2011 Goi Peace Foundation-UNESCO International Essay Contest for Young People (Youth Category). His essay, entitled “Pride in Profession,” won over 6,931 entries from 140 countries.
The winning essay highlighted Bagaporo’s eye-opening experience with geriatric loneliness while interviewing the wards of a nursing home for the aged. “It was during this day that I realized the importance of who I am and what I was doing. I was not just simply doing interviews; I was actually caring,” said Bagaporo in the winning piece.
The announcement of his winning was made in a letter from the Goi Peace Foundation addressed to Bagaporo and inviting him to Japan for the awarding ceremony. The winner will receive the Minister of Education Award of Japan and a cash prize of 100,000 yen (approximately $1,200), as well as an all-expense paid trip to Japan where he will receive the award and recite his essay.