Webinar on – ‘Choosing Your Next University

The Training and Placement Cell of Don Bosco College of Engineering arranged a webinar on Choosing Your Next University for Second, Third & Final year students of all branches. The talk was organized on Saturday, February 27, 2021 on Google Meet.

The talk was delivered by Ms. Mohita Chowdhury an Electronics & Communication engineer graduate from NITK – Surathkal and Masters in Computer Science graduate from Oxford University. She is currently working as AI researcher at a healthcare startup in UK.

The speaker explained how to prepare for the exams and provided details of applying for GRE, TOEFL etc. She then explained about how to choose universities and apply for them. She compared various aspects like research and jobs abroad , also details of various universities across different continents. The students asked many interesting questions which were answered in detail by the speaker. She encouraged students to do an extensive research about universities and list down few before appearing for GRE, TOEFL & IELTS exams. The webinar concluded by Dr. Shreyas Simu thanking the speaker for her valuable time and inputs.

Innovative Practices for Placement Push

MBA is one of the most popular and professional post-graduate programmes in India and abroad. The two-year programme is a gateway to a plethora of job opportunities in the corporate world. A manager is expected to lead a team of professionals hence the most important skills for a successful manager are good communication and leadership qualities.

Center for Employability Enhancement (CEE) of Sacred Heart Institute of Management Studies (SHIMS) had organized four days of residential programme for the I MBA students from 26.02.2021 – 01.03.2021.It was inaugurated by Rev. Dr. John Alexander, SDB, Rector & Secretary, SHC. Rev. Dr. D. Maria Antony Raj, SDB, Principal, SHC, Rev. Fr. J. Andrews Raja, SDB Director, Vazhikatti, SHC, Rev. Fr. Angelo Jospeh, SDB, Director of Center for Employability Enhancement – SHIMS, Dr. S. Sasi Kumar, Head of the Department, SHIMS, Mr. Maria Antony Juderaj -HR- Learning & Development, ELGi and the faculty fraternity of SHIMS, graced this auspicious occasion.

Rev. Dr. John Alexander in his felicitation spoke on the need for being updated to face the challenges of the business world and chiseling out the MBA young graduates to be the budding managers of tomorrow. Rev. Dr. D. Maria Antony Raj, SDB, Principal urged the young graduates to make use of this magnificent opportunity to be industry ready. Further he expressed his desire to see his brain child (SHIMS) to be the benchmark of SHC in the near future with the state –of – the – art amenities for better learning.

This programme was meticulously planned, designed and executed by Rev. Fr. Angelo Joseph, SDB, Director, CEE-SHIMS together with his team members Prof. G. Lawrence , the programme coordinator& Prof. R. Alexander, the event organizer. The resource persons were invited based on their expertise i.e. Days 1 & 2 – “Journey towards Excellence” by Mr. Maria Antony Juderaj–HR-Learning & Development, ELGi. Day 3 – “Negotiation Skills” by Rev. Fr. Angelo Joseph, SDB, Director of CEE, SHIMS. The session on “New Product Development” was rendered by Dr. J. Sasiganth, Prof. R. Alexander & Dr. R. Arockia Mary.
On day 4 “Believing in Self through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Prof. G. Lawrence, The Corporate Trainer, SHIMS and “Creativity & Innovation in Business” by Dr. S. Sasi Kumar, Head of the Department, SHIMS were offered. The students were taken through the experiential learning mode using Revised BloomTaxonomy for Teaching, Learning and Assessment following the three domains: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor during their stay in the campus.

Distribution of Kitchenware to Unaided Teaching Staff – Gift in Honour of Rev. Dr. K.A. Maria Arokiaraj, the Silver Jubilarian

Ramon Magasaysay Mr. Kulandai Francis, Founder and President, IVDP, Krishnagiri as token of felicitation and gratitude to Rev. Dr. K.A. Maria Arokiaraj, Additional Principal offered Kitchenware to 133 unaided teaching staff on 24th February 2021. Rev. Dr. K.A. Maria Arokiaraj celebrates 25 years of his priestly ordination this year. Rev. Dr. John Alexander, the Rector and Secretary, Rev. Dr. D. Maria Antony Raj, the Principal and Rev. Fr. S. Henry Daniel Ambrose, Director, Extension Education and Services, were the other dignitaries who graced the occasion along with the Silver Jubilarian. Mr. Kulandai Francis, a humanist and philanthropist appealed to the staff to empathize with the needy. The staff were quiet pleased with this noble gesture besides expressing gratefulness to the donor and the management.

Love yourself first

I don’t know if it’s called self love
when you smile, peering through your red swollen eyes
in the mirror after a long breakdown
telling yourself you’ve been strong
and it’s okay to let your fragility take over for a while;
For me, this is acceptance.

Accepting that it’s illogical to put up with happiness every time,
that you hit your lows with full speed and you scatter
when you can’t bear pain
and it’s fine to be in pieces
because being whole is just too much for you lately
so you break down.
Accepting that tears are a form of care,
and you should scatter once in a while to trash your thoughts off
because being strong every time with a happy face is so hoax.
And obsessing over mental peace is something you should pledge on,
for yourself.

How can one love their body when it’s so stained
that every scar refreshes the hurt it has, everytime you look at it.
Or that webbing mind which spins a million thoughts at a time
and it’s hard to love oneself when you’ve spent night after night
cutting your flesh because it’s a pound extra to fit into that perfect dress.

Love doesn’t happen in a day, for others or even for yourself.
You plant love within you, for yourself to bloom.
You affirm, manifesting your worth.
You breathe, when temper shortens.
You take hold, when you slip through.
You smile genuine, to never mask on.
You cry often, to trash thoughts.
You unlearn, what doesn’t serve you to grow.
You allow, when someone tries to help you bloom.
You believe, in what you can possess.
You deserve, beyond what your anxiety tells you.
You live, outside the four walls.
You make mistakes because that’s very human of you.
But most importantly,
You glow even in the dark
because you have shine within you.
You need not stop to search for light,
You have it within in abundance.
So stop reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel
because you are the source of what makes you bright.

The First Semester BSW students in Wayanad for Orientation Visit to SHREYAS & JEEVAN JYOTHI

The First Semester BSW students, accompanied by the Staff Coordinators Zhavierkutty Francis Sir, Vipin Sir and the Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work Lisbel Manikutty Miss, were in Wayanad on Friday, February 19, visiting two social service agencies of repute catering to the marginalised: SHREYAS, the Social Service Society, under the Malankara Catholic Diocese of Sulthan Bathery & JEEVAN JYOTHI, An NGO Working for the Tribal and the marginalized sections of the society since 2011in Kalpetta. Project Officer Shaji KP at SHREYAS, and Executive Director PM Pathrose at JEEVAN JYOTHI took orientation sessions and students had a guided tour to the various segments of both these agencies.
Orientation visits are envisaged in BSW curriculum to familiarise the students with the burning issues faced by the society today, and to develop a critical understanding of the society’s response to these contemporary concerns through the wide range of services of these professional agencies.

MSW frist Year Student Contruct Check Dams across Kundoor at Uruppumkutty

The First Year MSW students are now from their classroom to the field … in a rural camp at Uruppumkutty, in touch with ground realities of life …. As part of the rural camp, three check dams are being made across Kundoor river under the scorching sun, to retain water upstream, for the water to percolate into the wells getting dry around the area. The families at Uruppumkutty have been battling with water scarcity for years particularly in the months of April and May. These check dams will increase the ground water level in the vicinity. Ayyankunnu Panchayath President Kuriachan Paimkilikunnel inaugurated the camp. Panchayath Member KJ Jose felicitated. Congratulations to MSW HoD Fr. KO Thomas, Teachers and MSW First Year Students.

Certificate of Application From Health Department

The University is glad to share with you the Appreciation Certificate and Plaque we received from the Dept. of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Assam in recognition of the University’s contribution during Covid19 pandemic. The Certificate reads “The valuable contribution made by your esteemed institution in the fight against Covid19 in the State of Assam will be remembered for posterity. The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Assam takes utmost pride in honouring your distinguished institution as a mark of gratitude on behalf of the people of Assam”

Distribution of Food Packages
With many families being forced to stay at home to prevent further spread of Covid19, a new challenge was afoot – shortage of food. The University got permission from local authorities to distribute food packages to those who needed the most. Families were identified by the local authorities, food packages were prepared by volunteers from the University and were distributed to 1500 families. Food packages were also distributed to stranded construction workers and tea garden workers. The villages covered are Hatimura, Upper Tapesia, Amgdin, Belguli, Bamunkhat, Khulkhuria, Uralbasti, Sonaru Batali, Laflonggaon, Damrapathar, Hirapara, Ghogua, Hohara and Somata under Sonapur Circle and Keotpara under Azara Circle.

Counselling Services

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the concern for mental health rises sharply due to the unprecedented stress, anxiety and uncertainty among people of all walks of life. As a response to this situation, the University’s Department of Psychology and Counselling stepped up in providing mental health services through tele-counseling in collaboration with DHARA HELPLINE, receiving calls from the COVID19 front liners fraternity. The tele-counselors had also attended training and discussion sessions on tele-psychology and tele-counseling hosted by Global Pandemic Response Forum under eminent psychologists and psychiatrists prior to volunteering for this service. The Department of Psychology and Counseling has a faculty strength of 3 Clinical Psychologists, 3 Counseling Psychologists/ Psychotherapists and a Special Education Trainer (Ph.D) promoting mental wellness.

Online Classes and Examination

At the outset of the outbreak of Covid-19 and the beginning of lockdowns, the University immediately took action and started conducting online classes through various platforms including Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco Webex etc. With the admission season caught up in the middle of this pandemic, entrance tests platforms were designed quickly and entrance test for BTech, MTech, MCA and MSW were conducted successfully. Following the UGC’s Expert Committee’s recommendations and guidelines regarding examinations in the Universities, the University immediately took steps without a pause and successfully conducted online examinations for its final semester students using the University’s Online Examination Portal and mobile app designed for the examinations.

A Symphony of the World

To commemorate the International Mother Language Day, the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) , one of our collaborative partner Universities is organizing Folklore 2021 – A Symphony of the World, a virtual international celebration of folk musical performances from around the globe! on Zoom, in which our University also is participating.

The main event will be on 21 February 1:30 pm IST. You can join the Zoom Meeting through https://zoom.us/j/94716519639?pwd=WitXOGRudnZFejdDaGtWYS9EVTdRUT09
Zoom Meeting ID: 947 1651 9639, Passcode: 938030

NSS to construct Sneha Veedu for a Homeless family in Edoor

Having won Kannur University’s best NSS Unit, best NSS Programme Officer and best NSS Volunteer Awards in 2018 and 2020, and having constructed three houses (Sneha Veedu) for three homeless families consecutively in the last three years, NSS volunteers are now on another challenging venture: a Sneha Veedu for a deserving mother.