From July 8-12, 2025, AIESEC in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (AIESEC in UPLB)
hosted a virtual Youth Leadership Summit (YLS), named Launch UP: Above and Beyond.
Attended by more than 100 youth leaders from different areas in the country, Launch UP was
geared into teaching delegates from Highschool to 1st Year College how to navigate leadership
in the present.
Equipped with credible speakers from the AIESEC community, Launch UP focused on different
aspects of leadership, its purpose, meaning, and the active choice of doing it, all of which were
focused in empowering the delegates why leadership is essential to our society. Each day was
concluded with activities for delegates to reflect upon each speaker’s talk.
Day 1, with the theme “Lead with Purpose: Why Youth Leadership Matters Now” was opened by
Duc Anh Le Hoang (Tuna), the Outgoing Country President of AIESEC in Taiwan. Tuna
emphasized that leadership is most important during difficult times because it allows people to
care about society and its problems. The day concluded with delegates presenting how they
want to be perceived as leaders.
Day 2, with the theme “Lead with Meaning: Finding Purpose in Every Choice” had Gee Coronel,
the Outgoing Country President of AIESEC in the Philippines, as its speaker. Gee drew
inspiration from the movie “The Lorax”, and cited the line “Because unless someone like you
cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”. They enlightened the delegates
that although the world would not change in the present time, the choices they make serve as
stepping stones for the future generation’s ability to make change. The session ended with the
delegates presenting their personal leadership gardens, where they showed their inspirations
and the purpose that drives them.
Day 3, with the theme “Lead Out Loud: Present Collaborate, Impact” started with a talk from
Rae Quilapio, former Country President of AIESEC in the Philippines. Rae empowered the
delegates to keep saying yes to leadership because it’s about taking care of others. She
emphasized that leadership is about the people and never about you[rself]. Followed by the talk
was a collaborative project planning made to assess the delegate’s ability to assess, create, and
plan innovative solutions for real world problems rooted in the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
To end the summit, AIESEC in UPLB recognized delegates with different awards to ensure that
all their efforts during their three days of workshops and collaboration were worth it.