The Author & The Inspiration of the Program

Ruel G. Demain, a 27-year-old working student from Zambales, initially pursued an accounting major at President Ramon Magsaysay State University before entering the workforce at the age of 18. In 2019, he applied to the University of the Philippines Open University for the Bachelor of Education Studies program and was admitted that same year. Despite working full-time, Rue—often referred to affectionately by his peers—has achieved the distinction of UP Presidential Scholar and has consistently maintained a strong academic record.

He is now finishing his capstone project in UPOU with a special focus in campus journalism.

Rue has quite gained some experiences in student journalism, having served in several key editorial roles. He was the Editor-in-Chief of The Carmelians, his high school student publication, followed by a tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Prestige, the student newsletter for the College of Accountancy and Business Administration Main Campus. Additionally, he was the Managing Editor of The Bastion, a student publication at PRMSU recognized as one of Luzon’s top performers.

During his college years, Rue, along with several colleagues, conducted training sessions for students across Zambales in preparation for school press conferences. In 2016, when Lipay Elementary School revived its student publication, Rue was invited by the school paper adviser to serve as a consultant. Under his guidance, the school’s publication achieved significant success, including notable achievements in provincial and regional press conferences. The publication earned the accolade of Second Best School Publication (Elementary – English) in Central Luzon in 2019.

When Rue continued his studies at UP, the school’s performance in school press conferences declined. To address this, a program was created to train young campus journalists at Lipay Elementary School in both individual and group categories. For the purpose of this special project and to provide students with a strong foundation in journalism, Rue has planned a seminar-workshop focused on mastering the basics of news and news writing.