For us JCers, perhaps our first encounter with Prof. Lourdes Estella-Simbulan, was during the application process when we had to name alumni from the academe. For journalism students, her name would have most likely appeared in conversations during enrolment period. Yes, she was one of the many names we have encountered.
But for those of us who have had the honor to know Ma’am Simbulan even deeper, there was a much, much bigger story behind her name.
As a respected journalist, Ma’am Simbulan walked the talk. She never cowered when faced with intimidation. She held up to the principle that journalism is a Promethean endeavor. It should give power to the people—the power of correct, fair, and accurate information.
And this was the same principle that Ma’am Simbulan shared to her students. She set an example for her students. And she just simply didn’t teach techniques and theories. She lived what she taught. It was integrity that she imparted to her students.
We in the UP Journalism Club had the honor to have her as an adviser. She was always a mother to us, ready to answer our questions, reminding us to take care of applicants, imparting constructive criticism. She was always a proud alumna. We were always proud of her but we felt somehow, that she was also proud to be one of us.
One night, some JCers were screaming while crowding in front of a laptop. She looked at the screen and said laughingly, “What are you doing? Naglalaro lang pala kayo.” She did not mind our loudness. She did not mind our blocking of the hallway. She laughed, smiled and walked away.
She was always like this—smiling and filled with positive aura. She always had a smile on her face that we will never forget. She was one of the nicest, if not the nicest professor in MassComm. She never failed to acknowledge us when we greeted her along the corridors of Plaridel, or smiled back when we met her at random in jeepney rides or in malls.
Ma’am Simbulan had always been a genuine, genuine person and she will surely be missed. We will miss her calm voice in class. We will miss her advising at her office. We will miss her beaming smile. But her spirit lives on in all of us—as professor, journalist, adviser, and mother.
– UP Journalism Club
The contents of this post were retrieved from a Wayback Machine snapshot of UPJC’s old website dated Sept. 1, 2011, 00:47:38 GMT.
