Step Up sa Pangarap

ABOUT THE MOVEMENT

Step Up sa Pangarap is a celebration of you, the working student. We recognize your achievements, understand your challenges, and we're here for you.

Here, we curated powerful stories to inspire you to advance your career, achieve work-life-school balance, and manage your finances. We believe a college education will empower you to achieve all these. It is a movement designed to empower people to take control of their destinies.

We encourage you to level up and face life head-on. Step up with the community who understands you, and we'll bring you closer to a better and more fulfilled life.

Step Up Towards a Better Future: A Working Student Story

Join Carl Santos on his inspiring journey towards achieving his dreams, proving that it's never too late to go back to college and make a positive change in your life with the flexible and innovative programs made possible by Mapúa Malayan Digital College.

MOVEMENT TRAILBLAZERS

Jennifer Chua
Vice President, Marketing, Partnerships and Admissions
Mapúa Malayan Digital College

Ms. Jenny Chua pioneered Mapúa Malayan Digital College in 2021 as Vice President for Marketing, Partnerships, and Sales. Her years of experience in telecommunications, FMCG, and community-building allowed her to understand the needs of various markets and build empowering solutions and businesses.

Bryan Ordas
Senior Software Engineer
Accenture

Mr. Bryan Ordas is a Senior Software Engineer. He graduated BS Computer Engineering from the University of Nueva Caceres. He was a working student and started in Accenture as an Associate Software Engineer. In about 3 years, he was promoted twice in his current post.

Rosario Cajucom-Bradbury
Managing Director
Contact Center Association of the Philippines

Ms. Rosario Bradbury holds a dual MBA on Business Administration from the National University of Singapore, and from UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles. Rosario was with SGS, a Swiss based company for over 30 years. She started as a telephone operator and rose from the rank as CEO and Managing Director of SGS Philippines and Guam. In 2015, she migrated to the USA and joined Authentix Inc, a Texas based provider of advanced brand integrity solutions using nano technology servicing the governments, central banks and various industries.

Derrick Latreille
Chief Learning Officer
Mapúa Malayan Digital College

Mr. Derrick Latreille holds a degree in economics, served in the US military, and holds an MLS in cognitive psychology. With Mr. Fred Ayala, Derrick co-founded Ayala Education in 2012. In 2019, Ayala Education completed a merger with iPeople (the 3 Mapua Colleges) to form one of the largest (top 5) education conglomerates in the country. They delivered constructivist based learning with curriculum designed, first, around thinking and skills objectives. They developed tested and proven frameworks for remediating English and Mathematics.

Rica Jimenez
Senior Director of Training and Quality
Concentrix Philippines

Ms. Rica Jimenez has been with Concentrix Philippines for 18 years. She started as a Customer Service Representative and moved her way up as the company grew. Aside from managing Training and Quality, she also manages augmented reality, virtual reality and metaverse projects for the Philippines. Within the four walls of Concentrix, she is an advocate of lifelong learning and cultivates a culture of innovation. Outside work, she and her husband support UNICEF and any efforts that would provide children in need with quality education.

Ed Fermin
Vice President for Academic Affairs
National Teacher's College

Mr. Ed Fermin champions the training and education of industry-ready learners. With over two decades of expertise in training teachers and teaching a variety of learners, he has received distinctions here and abroad. He continues to advise local and international agencies in making education accessible, sustainable, and of high quality and impact.

Maekyla Besanez
Working Student & Customer Leads Engagement Associate
Mapúa Malayan Digital College

Ms. Maekyla Besanez is a working student at Mapúa Malayan Digital College, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Marketing Management. She worked in MMDC Admissions for 5 months, before moving on to perform her role as a Customer Leads Engagement Associate for the digital college. She also had two side hustles back then: event organizing and making/selling DIY beads. Outside work and school, she is an active member/volunteer of Victory Makati.

Edwin Salvador
Filipino and Araling Panlipunan Teacher
Garden Angels Integrated School, Inc.

Mr. Edwin Salvador is a former security guard in Bulacan province who has fulfilled his dream of becoming a teacher at 45 years old after finishing a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with Magna Cum Laude honors from the Bulacan Agricultural State College. While attending college, Edwin juggled studying, working as a security guard, doing commissions as an aircon technician, a plumber and other labor related works to earn and feed his family. He is now teaching Filipino and Araling Panlipunan subjects for Grades 5 and 6 at Garden Angels Integrated School in Bulacan.

Isabel Luna
Customer Success Manager
Bukas PH

Ms. Isabel Luna is the Customer Success Manager of Bukas. With Bukas, she aims to make education more accessible in the Philippines. She manages a team that works to provide the best experience for borrowers, by creating solutions from customer feedback. Outside work, her interests revolve around art and travel.

Vett Watson
Modern Work & Security Business Lead
Microsoft Philippines

Mr. Vett Watson is the Modern Work & Security Business Lead at Microsoft Philippines. Prior to this role, he was a Solutions Architect working Microsoft Partners to build solutions and services offerings to enable customer success. He has also worked in the Enterprise team as a Technical Specialist for Office 365, working directly with some of the biggest names across commercial and government sectors in the country. He first joined Microsoft as an Adoption Specialist, working with customers to build their Adoption Journey for their business users as they transitioned to the new ways of working and collaborating.

Frances Teopengco
Manager of Talent Acquisition
McDonald’s Philippines

Ms. Frances Teopengco has been with Golden Arches Development Corporation for almost 28 years now. She holds 16 years of experience in Operations, 10 years in Learning and Development and nearly 2 years in Talent Acquisition. As the Talent Acquisition Head, she leads and develops sustainable acquisition and hiring plans. To future-proof the organization, she ensures that department programs and initiatives are relevant and aligned with the business objectives. She is a compelling figure in the workplace and uses her optimistic attitude to inspire others to work hard and succeed.

Jayson Lo
Entrepreneur, Inspirational Speaker,
and Bestselling Author

Mr. Jayson Lo is an entrepreneur by heart. He started companies as a multi-industry entrepreneur in manufacturing, direct selling, trading, and the restaurant business. He is a Visionary Speaker who changes the way his audience think and act through his thought provoking speeches. With over 3,000 speaking engagements in more than a decade of speaking experience, Jayson has delivered speeches in the Philippines and abroad, including Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Kuwait to name a few.

Jayson is the creator of the YOUniqueTM️ Personalities, an assessment based on the DISC model of behavior which allows people to discover their behavioral styles, to know their strengths and weaknesses, and to adapt their style to those around them and their situation. It is now being used by hundreds of thousands of people as a powerful tool to be aware, to accept, and adapt.

Frankie Antolin
Executive Director for Talent Attraction & Development,
IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines

As the Executive Director for Talent Attraction & Development of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines or IBPAP, Ms. Frankie Antolin leads the Talent Strategy of IBPAP, including initiatives for industry awareness, career marketing, capability building, and workforce development to support the continued growth and competitiveness of the Philippine IT & Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector.

She has 20 years of experience in the industry and has held leadership roles in the areas of learning and development, client services, and operational support.

Jonathan De Luzuriaga
CEO and President,
Spring Valley Tech Corp.

Mr. Jonathan De Luzuriaga is the CEO and President of Spring Valley Tech Corp, the only technology company in the Philippines that has its own township. He is also the president of the Philippine Software Industry Association, and a Globe Business Ambassador. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of the IT-Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), Bago City College, Bago City LEDIPO, and KodeGo.ph.

EMPOWERING STEP UP TIPS

STEP UP sa Career

We want you to Step Up in your careers. Read this article to know how important it is to progress with your career through upskilling, learn the hard and soft skills you need to have to get promoted, do new roles, and achieve success.

Here’s how you can Step Up in your Careers

STEP UP sa Buhay

Juggling work, life, and school may be hard, but we will show you that it is possible to get a college degree while working. Read this article for helpful time management strategies on achieving a work-life-school balance.

Work - School - Life balance is possible. Here’s how.

STEP UP sa Pera

A lot of working students have trouble managing their finances, but it doesn't have to be this way. Read this article to get concrete tips and ways forward on how you can manage your money, because investing in yourself through education is the first step to improving your life.
Here’s how you can manage your finances better and continue investing in your education

NEWS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

Are you a working student? Check out this digital college for you.

February 17, 2023

‘Step Up sa Pangarap’ – Introducing a movement for working students in the country

February 20, 2023

MMDC introduces movement for working students

February 23, 2023

Pagusapan natin kung paano maaabot ang mga pangarap sa pamamagitan ng college education

March 17, 2023

OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Step up, and dream big! Whether you are looking to learn new skills or considering going back to school to get a college degree, the Step Up sa Pangarap movement is with you.

Join us in celebrating and empowering working students like you.