The assignment of desk work to government interns is rather typical. They frequently describe their days as being ordinary, doing typical clerical work such as typing, manning the front desk and assisting clients.

Kristine Joyce S. Camilo, known fondly as Tin-tin, 27 years old from Brgy. Andres Bonifacio, Diffun Quirino, had an entirely different experience while working as a government intern though.

At the main campus of Quirino State University, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture on June 2, 2019, and in November of that same year, she became a Registered Agriculturist.

She underwent actual fieldwork while specializing in Animal Science. She described her course as practical and the outside world serves as their classroom.

After her graduation, she tried to look for a position that fit her line of work, but she struggled to find one.

Years later, Tin-tin managed to get a job in her native province, where she worked as a Government Internship Program (GIP) beneficiary in 2021. From February 8 until July 15 of the same year, she worked under the Municipal Agriculture Office of Diffun.

Looking back at her experience of being a GIP beneficiary, she says that is was her stepping stone to get to where she is today.

“I was given the chance to showcase my working abilities in the office where I was assigned,” she said.

Her GIP experience involved working outside in the sweltering heat while doing what she could to support the Diffun farming community. Her glove-wrapped arms would vanish into a cow's rump as she conducted a procedure known as bovine palpation to ascertain a cow’s pregnancy. At other times, she also would just stand next to an animal, injecting it with a syringe or just checking on its well-being.

Tin-tin was given the opportunity to become an Agricultural Technologist on July 16, 2021 after the town's Agriculture Office recognized her commitment and hard work. In many ways, her daily responsibilities now mirror the duties of her GIP experience. She attained the permanent position she deserves as a result of her perseverance and hard work.

She compliments the DOLE for giving her the opportunity to experience government work which she says fortified her into the person she has become.

“Never give up on your aspirations. Continue to work on it until you reap what you sow,” Tin-tin says in closing.