Spark Plug is a feature series that seeks to profile multi-faceted athletes who have the unique ability to excel both in sports and in other aspects of their lives. In the third installment, we get to know Marj Manguiat, a UAAP Swimming gold medalist, YouTube content creator, and an active member of a non-profit youth organization.
WHETHER IN the water or on land, Marj Manguiat provides a different take to what an ideal student-athlete can achieve. Apart from being a member of the FAST Ateneo Swimming Team (FAST), Marj produces content on her YouTube channel and engages in her non-profit organization, Kalinga. Despite the difficulty of balancing all these projects, Marj is able to excel in each one while also serving others in the process. Epitomized by her Instagram bio that reads, “You matter,” Marj is a person who seeks to uplift others through her talents, whether as a social servant, a vlogger, or a swimmer for Ateneo.
Swimming in success
Entering her first University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) collegiate season with FAST, Marj was expected to contribute to another team championship. Despite being a rookie, Marj was entrusted to swim in crucial events immediately, garnering a spot in FAST’s relay teams. Her biggest achievement of the season came on day two of the competition, when she and her teammates set a record-breaking time of 4:11.31 in the 4x100m Freestyle relay. Aside from establishing a new record, Marj also bagged two gold medals in the 4x50m Medley relay and 4x100m Medley relay while notching a silver medal in the 4x50m Freestyle relay.
Despite her successful rookie campaign, Marj’s journey to UAAP glory was not a plan she dreamed of as a little girl. The freestyle-specialist’s love for swimming began as a play time activity in her swimming pool at home. Alongside her brother, Marj learned how to swim under her dad’s guidance. In fifth grade, after seeing her brother qualify for his school’s varsity swimming team, Marj decided to try out for the Miriam College Swimming Varsity Team. She then began competing in interclub competitions with the Ayala Harpoons Swim Club in 2015. Two years later, Marj’s UAAP journey began after finding her way to FAST’s roster when she enrolled in the Ateneo Senior High School.
In spite of her many swimming achievements throughout the years, the UAAP Season 82 Swimming Championships remains the highlight of her swimming career so far. On top of bringing home the crown, Marj credited her fond memories of the season to her veteran FAST teammates who helped her adjust to the college environment. She recounted how her upperclassmen’s excellent academic performance inspired her to do well both in the water and in the classroom.
“I really learned a lot from [my teammates], and training with them was such a great opportunity for me as well. Because yung mga teammates ko (my teammates), honestly they’re the people who represent the Philippines, so I get motivation from them as well,” shared Marj.
On top of bagging medals in the pool, balancing a hectic schedule between swimming and her academics has been no easy feat. However, Marj succeeded by focusing on one priority at a time. For instance, in Season 82, Marj faced a scenario where she had to walk the thin line between swimming and academics.
A few days after the UAAP Swimming Championship, Marj had a foreign language long test scheduled. Not wanting to sacrifice her performance in the pool, the swimmer focused only on swimming and winning for Ateneo throughout the four-day competition. During her downtime, she sent emails to her professor explaining her situation and appealed to take the test another time, but she received no replies. On the day of the test, Marj made do with the little time she had to prepare and pushed through with the long test. To her professor’s surprise, she earned a high grade.
“It’s a matter of choice talaga eh. So nung UAAP, I tried to study eh, but then sabi ko, ‘Kapag UAAP, UAAP talaga’ (I said, if it’s UAAP, then it’s UAAP). I don’t think I could manage doing acads while [focusing] on swimming, so it’s a matter of choice talaga, and you just really have to set your mind into what you want to focus on,” said the sophomore swimmer.
Creating change
In March, Marj looked forward to diving back into the water to prepare for Season 83. However, the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with her plans and pushed her to adjust to life outside of competitive swimming. Because of this, Marj decided to start her own Youtube channel during the lockdown. Her decision to start a channel stemmed from her desire to improve her video editing skills, which is important in her course—AB Communication with tracks in advertising and public relations.
“I realized during my first year in college na grabe, ang daming videos na kailangang gawin (there are so many videos I’ll have to make). And honestly, back then I didn’t really know how to make videos. [So] parang feel ko (I felt like) I could try to improve in making videos,” said Marj.
Aside from acquiring new skills to help her academically, Marj also saw her YouTube channel as a way to document her life for her future self to revisit. “I want to capture every memorable experience that I’ll be having in college as well as outside college, so that as I grow up, I’ll be able to see videos of myself back then and see how I was doing during my younger years,” shared the vlogger.
With 388 subscribers and a few videos garnering over 2,000 views, her channel’s fun, quirky, and informative content continues to attract various audiences. Shifting from her previous videos like Shopee haul try-ons to more recent videos such as a freshman guide, her channel’s content has become more school-oriented. This is due to her desire to provide incoming Ateneo freshmen with tips and guides on new things that they would encounter—such as the Ateneo Freshman Orientation Seminar, Ateneo Integrated Student Information System, and enlistment processes.
“Actually, yung mga recent content ko more of school-related siya. Like I didn’t expect na yung isa kong video, yung parang freshman guide, would actually gain a lot of views. (Actually, my more recent content is more school-related. Like I didn’t expect that my freshman guide video would actually gain a lot of views),” she said.
Ironically, her latest video on online class essentials was difficult for her to complete due to the amount of readings and modules brought by the online learning setup. Despite her increased workload, Marj is already planning for her next few videos and aims to be posting at least once a week after fully adjusting to her increased academic workload.
Apart from her YouTube channel, Marj helped establish a youth organization with her friends called Kalinga. The non-profit organization that initially started out as a benefit drive has grown into an organization that aims to empower the marginalized and develop youth leaders through various initiatives.
As part of the advisory council under social media, Marj handles Kalinga’s social media accounts and is in charge of creating spiels and captions for various posts. Other than being an opportunity to collaborate with her friends, Kalinga has been a safe haven for Marj outside the pool. The swimmer’s involvement with Kalinga has provided her with the fulfillment of helping others despite being at home. “It’s actually a life-giving experience for me. Because especially in this time of the pandemic, when we feel like we have so little things that we could do at home, Kalinga has become an avenue for me to reach out to more people,” shared Marj.
Kalinga’s first project was a 10-day Mobile Legends Tournament, which raised Php 34,418. The funds were used in partnership with COVID-Afflicted Relief Efforts (CARE) to provide CARE Packages composed of essentials such as canned goods, vegetables, vitamins, and sanitary products for vulnerable communities. The organization then hosted a two-day livestream concert in partnership with Tarabangan PH for its second project, which raised Php 11,300 worth of funds used to provide Personal Protective Equipment for frontliners.
The end goal
Amid mounting responsibilities, Marj’s unending desire to do more has allowed her to keep her head above the water. At the end of the day, Marj’s ultimate goal is to grow and excel as a person, not just in swimming or in academics, but in all aspects of her life. “Siguro iyon din yung goals ko (those are my goals) at the end of the day, to be able to grow, not just on YouTube, but as a person din (also as a person). Like [being] able to hone my skills, not just as a student-athlete, not just as an [AB Communication] major, but in different aspects [of life],” she said.
Whether in swimming, serving the less fortunate families through Kalinga, or entertaining her subscribers on YouTube, Marj Manguiat constantly pursues her passions with the desire to make the most of what she has. “As much as possible, I want to utilize this talent that God has given me to be able to inspire other people, [to] be able to help. Because you know, you only live once, so why not make the most out of it?”
