After more than a decade of not seeing each other, college friends Andrea Claire Adajar and Valerie Averia-Yan were surprised to be virtually reunited in June 2022 when they both got accepted to the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program.
Every year, the Ivy League university only accepts 50 out of hundreds of applications from around the world. Adajar and Averia, both 2006 AB Communication graduates from Ateneo de Manila University, became part of the 2022-2023 batch, which was made up of students with diverse backgrounds in medicine, law, business, and even sports. Canadian Olympic champion figure skater Tessa Virtue belonged to the same group.
UPenn is the first in the world to offer a degree in the demanding field of positive psychology, which is the scientific study of the strengths that enable humans and organizations to optimally function and flourish, requiring qualitative, analytical and quantitative skills from its students.
Dr. Martin Seligman, founder of the discipline and known as the father of Positive Psychology, heads the faculty, along with leading researchers and practitioners like Dr. James Pawelski, Dr. Karen Reivich, and Dr. Allyson Mackey. Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth, psychologist and bestselling author behind "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," is a visiting faculty member and active positive psychology practitioner.
“Val and I shared classes during our undergraduate days but we did not get the chance to interact that much back then. It just happened that her high school best friend happens to be one of my closest friends in Ateneo too,” Adajar told ABS-CBN News.
“I immediately looked for ways to get in touch with her when I saw her name on a Zoom call for accepted applicants. Our friendship has grown from being clueless about taking the same course to being bonded like sisters,” she said, adding how proud she is of Averia who powered through a high-risk pregnancy while doing the MAPP program.
Averia shared a similar reaction. “What are the chances of two women who took the same undergraduate course from Manila being accepted in a highly competitive master’s program in another continent, and at the same time? I was absolutely thrilled!” She went on to tell ABS-CBN News that they became each other’s source of strength and support which was critical to how they both survived and thrived in the rigorous program. The two brought pride to the Philippines and their alma mater as they both graduated with a 4.0 GPA (grade point average).
After graduating cum laude from Ateneo in 2006, Adajar pursued a career in media strategy and brand communications. She worked for multinational companies Starcom Mediavest and McCann Worldgroup in the Philippines and Qatar Airways headquarters in Doha, Qatar before putting up her own lifestyle and entertainment website Random Republika. Based in Manila, Adajar plans to apply positive psychology in the local film and entertainment industry and expand her research on the benefits of journaling and other self-care activities. For her capstone, she received exemplary rating for her study of the intersection of the Japanese concept of cuteness known as kawaii and the benefits of journaling for female adolescents.
“Getting into the program is a gamechanger for me. At 38, I’m grateful that I followed my heart and went back to school. My parents and siblings are instrumental in making this dream happen,” Adajar said, expressing gratitude.
Averia, who has been based in the United States since 2021, also raved about the love and support from her family, most especially her husband Eric.
“I was barely three months here when my husband encouraged me to pursue my MAPP degree at Penn,” she shared.
“Kate and I are incredibly fortunate to call the father of positive psychology, Dr. Marty Seligman, our professor, along with other luminaries of the field.”
Averia gained experience as the training director at the Institute for Integrality and its Center for Positivity (now Integrality and Positivity, Inc.) and took charge in developing holistic training and well-being programs anchored to applied positive psychology to guide individuals and organizations towards authentic growth and happiness.
These days, she is a full-time mom to a three-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son while also currently crafting a book based on her capstone which received distinction -- a positive narrative intervention she designed called Collaborative Legacy Writing.
Averia is also exploring speaking engagements after her experience at the university’s annual Penn Talks earlier this year and as an alumni speaker at the MAPP Summit this weekend to be held at the Philadelphia campus.
Driven by the Atenean philosophy of magis or doing and being more, Adajar and Averia continue to exemplify being women for others as they contribute to the transformative field of positive psychology.
“It’s a dream come true for us to see the Philippines in the list of countries represented by alumni and we hope to make a valuable contribution in the field, local or international,” Adajar said.
“I am eager to connect and share knowledge with other positive psychology advocates and practitioners in the Philippines,” Averia ended on a positive note.