Iron lady helms the partnerships fort

Who would ever think that training in theater production could set one up for a career in the development sector partnerships? Growing up in Iligan City, Sealdi was fond of reading even as a child. “I loved books and was not inclined to the sciences or math. Literature was it for me. I really thought that my career trajectory would be in the Humanities, even if all my close friends went into sciences, engineering, and math.”

Sealdi wanted to pursue Humanities at University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and delve into the intricacies of theater production. “I joined a Dulaang UP theater production in my sophomore year. I vividly remember one of the principles in theater that I learned from José Estrella, our teacher and director: ‘kahit big name ang artista, no one is indispensable, what we are doing, walang mas mataas.’’ Pre-work is extremely important so that when the performance begins, the production appears seamless to the audience. They shouldn’t see any flaws. Everybody knows what everybody’s doing: blocking, script, costume and make-up, props, front office, sounds, and lights. It was fulfilling but tough.” 

Sealdi eventually shifted to English Studies (Anglo-American Literature) in her third year of college because she loved to read more Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, but she still cherished her time in Theater Arts as life-changing. “Experience in theater production taught me how to work as a team.”

Sealdi found herself employed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in her mid-twenties, which came after she spent time learning the ropes and getting her feet wet in development work in start-up non-government organizations and short-term projects—research, project evaluation, transcription work, and training delivery at the grassroots level. “I met a number of mentors in JICA who became good role models for excellent work and passion for development.”

Despite acquiring all the needed technical and relational skills in partnership development, project management, and grants administration from JICA, it took some time before Sealdi warmed up to Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s work culture. 

“The first 2 years in ZFF were very difficult. I came from a hierarchical to a flat organization, I had to learn how to communicate and adjust to the working styles of ZFF staff and bosses. There were so many expectations. But Typhoon Yolanda was a game-changer, career-wise, because it was a tough challenge to work in such an environment, and I was only less than 6 months into ZFF, so I had to learn the ropes very fast. But I felt like I could do anything after developing new programs, conducting mobilization activities with donors, and working on a recovery assistance project post-Typhoon Yolanda, all at the same time.”

“ZFF is a malleable organization.” I remember one of the former staff telling me: “ZFF allows you to innovate, as long as you can defend what you’re doing.” Sealdi, as now the Strategy and Partnerships Director for ZFF,  thinks that how ZFF and her unit have evolved was influenced by the work with its partners. “It is fulfilling to be a part of shaping an organization. What I wasn’t able to do elsewhere, I was able to do in ZFF.”

“Of course, working with a boss like Ramon Derige (former ZFF Deputy Executive Director) helped build my work ethic. He always tells me, ‘dapat mabilis’ especially since our work requires mental shifts that are quick and varied, and you know what you are doing.”

What’s next for Sealdi? “You’re only as good as your last project. You can never say that you can rest on your laurels,” she said. “I still think a lot about going back to a possible career path in the Humanities—teaching people how to read, like literature majors.”