Story By: Heaven Kate C. Hernandez, Member of Team VISTA
“You could always start small,” the speaker said, igniting a fire in my heart and filling my eyes with hope.
“We got this,” I thought.
I had recently joined the Visayas Selection of the International Creativity and Innovation Award (ICIA) in Silliman University, Dumaguete City. It was a competition and learning platform for young innovators in celebration of the World Creativity and Innovation Day (WCID). The focus was on creative solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Together with my Team VISTA, we joined with hope, determination, and perseverance, driven not just to win but to make a difference in the lives of the visually impaired through our innovation.
And so, on January 31, 2025, the workshop began. Entering the hall, we were shocked to find ourselves seated at the very front, almost right before the speakers. We were momentarily shaken, it was an uncomfortable zone and it was not easy, knowing that our fellow competitors were also talented innovators and skilled concept pitchers.
After a while, the speakers taught us how to build a strong foundation for our innovation, emphasizing teamwork and trust in our abilities. But what really caught our attention was the last speaker’s words that helped build our confidence in pitching, explaining our innovation’s importance and a having a deeper understanding of our innovation.
February 1, 2025, Pitch Day, finally arrived!
As we walked to the stage, I felt a mix of tension, fear, and hope. I was nervous and my mind started to space out. When I began my presentation, I completely forgot the script that I had poured my heart into. But that didn’t stop me. Instead, I pitched, improvising with words I never knew I had at that moment. This was thanks to Ma’am Marinell T. Ocampo, our adviser. I remembered her advice: during the pitch, we might forget our memorized script, so we needed to be ready to deliver adlibs. With that in mind, I pitched from the heart, and I didn’t regret a single word. What I ended up saying to the crowd was more than enough for me.
The hours dwindled to minutes, and the minutes to seconds. The announcement of the winners drew near. We did not expect to win knowing there were other truly useful innovations. But, by God’s grace, we made it!
We won first place in the Innovation Awards Category.
All the doubt, fear, and sleepless nights were worth it. We, Team VISTA, can truly say that it was all worth the effort. We joined ICIA to bring light to the darkness of the visually impaired and to transform their fear into hope and I believe we can make that a reality as we prepare for the next step: ICIA 2025 in Vietnam.
