Take Donna Faye Vilbar, 16, a computer engineering student in her freshman year at the University of San Carlos in Talamban. After enjoying a scholarship grant from the Aboitiz Group Foundation, Inc. (AGFI), she was awarded anew as one of the first five college scholars of AGFI. This, for graduating as class valedictorian last April from the Science and Technology Education Center in Lapulapu City. Excellence indeed has it many rewards.
Despite her exemplary record, this daughter of a engineer-father at TMX and an accountant-mother still has anxieties about sailing smoothly academically in her chosen course. Reason: "It's mostly because of the math," she says. So why take a five-year course? Isn't that prolonging the agony? "Because it has lots of job opportunities," she answers. Her source of information: No less than Jon Ramon Aboitiz, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aboitiz Group of companies. Hopefully, she says, she can get a job from any of its over a hundred companies nationwide and abroad, and realize one of her dreams - to work in a corporate setting. And when the pressure of studies can overwhelm, she can always depend on her many de-stressors, including writing essays and poems, playing the guitar or singing, particularly religious music.
For another AGFI dual scholarship grantee, Nina Faith Awe, 16, deciding on her course meant agonizing for three months on what course to take. She finally decided on accountancy; there's something about children wanting to take a different path from their parents. Still the pull was too strong. Sister finished management accounting, parents are both accountants, and family business is in trading and supplying various canteens. And Nina can see herself doing business in the future, too.
Future customers will have to think and talk fast to get in a word edgewise with bubbly, irrepressible and articulate Nina Faith. She proved a very engaging conversationalist during the interview, exuding a persona quite contrary to three years ago, when AGFI managing trustee Sonny Carpio remembers her crying. That's when she was so taken with emotion and finding herself "so blest" because she had gotten the AGFI scholarship grant.
At the congratulatory ceremonies at the Aboitiz conference hall, she felt blest all over again. She expected a simple ceremony, after which she'd be given a certificate about her scholarship grant. But catered lunch, the Aboitiz executives all in their barongs for lunch mates, and a formal program? She was thankful her fellow scholars and parents were around, or she'd have fallen off her chair.
Through the program and interview, Beryl Ann Manching, 16, talks with a childlike chuckle. That chuckle must've saved her many a time at the STEC. While she admits having initial difficulties fitting in at STEC, she soon enough created strong bonds with Donna Faye and Nina Faith.
Now a B.S. Management freshman at U.P. College Cebu, she says her decision on the course came by the process of elimination. Not Accountancy because "it's supposedly difficult." Nor Information Technology, although computers fascinate her, because "my mother says the IT field is very competitive." She expects the last two years of her course to be difficult, though, because "math is always difficult." If she could change her mind, though, she'd go for psychology (because she likes dealing with people), or computer engineering (because of the computers). Or if she had the resources, she'd probably be in the Conservatory of Music in U.P. Diliman because she loves the orchestra.
Five years from now, she sees herself as a professional manager in a manufacturing company. Why that? Two reasons: She likes to see things that move and see them as they develop, and likes to deal with employees at the lowest level, and finds executives too busy, and hardly having any time to work with the grassroots level. Knowing she assists the missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Banawa for Sunday Masses, and the Santo Nino de Mactan Parish Church every Saturday night, one sees what Beryl Ann's heart beats for.
That heart finds kindred spirit in AGFI. Driven with a passion to lead, to excel and to serve, its various member companies constantly look for where they could help improve the nation. Education being AGFI's strongest component, Aboitiz companies now have 1,118 scholars - including 16 in elementary grades, 652 in high school, 91 in post-secondary technical, 105 in college, and 254 in other school-related programs. Whatever the level and type of the support, the AGFI support stretches farther and further. Once upon a time, at the crossroads, member companies knew that business could be practiced for themselves, or for the benefit of others. In the end, the choices remained two: To pursue success as an end, or as a means to help others better.
At the rate the AGFI is passionately devising and implementing its corporate social responsibility programs, it is crystal-clear that many more doors will open to education and realized dreams.