Alumni Stories https://www.australiaawardsphilippines.org/collections/collection-of-alumni-stories https://www.australiaawardsphilippines.org/@@site-logo/rsz_web_quality_logo_white.png Alumni Stories https://www.australiaawardsphilippines.org/collections/collection-of-alumni-stories Changing lives through quality tech-voc education Joji Ilagan-Bian knew from the age of 18 that one day she would build her own school. Born and raised in Mindanao, Joji saw the challenges of having limited access to opportunities. This motivated her to drive innovative education solutions in her home region. Her vision was to create a training institution for young people in her hometown – an institution that would equip them with the knowledge and skills that they could use in a wide range of settings. “I would like to empower our youth, make them financially independent as early as possible,” she said. Read more... Marine Conservation for the Next Generation Dr. Rene Abesamis remembers the first time he saw the beauty and abundance of life underwater. As a child, he did not expect that a hobby that brought him so much joy would turn into a career as a marine biologist. Read more... Australia Global Alumna brings Filipino textile and crafts to Australia Read more... Defending the Rights of Muslim Filipino Women: Shari’ah bar passer Amanah Lao is ready to fight for Muslim Filipinas’ rights in court. In today’s world, how does one apply the concept of human rights to something religious, such as Shari’ah law? This is a challenge that Amanah Busran Lao will be facing in her work. Read more... A Global Perspective on Local Products: Australia Awards alumna Monica Co weaves new stories for Philippine handmade products Before Monica Camille Co, co-founder of social enterprise C&C Home and Gifts, went on her Australia Awards journey to study Marketing at the University of Melbourne, the millennial was at a loss with which career path to take. “My college degree was Management Economics, and I was working as a personal banker.” Read more... Enhancing Governance through a Values Program Mark Malitan talks about the importance of values in good governance. “I believe that values can really solve the problems that we have in society,” said Mark. “We need to know our foundational values: patriotism, integrity, excellence, and spirituality. This is now the thrust of the Civil Service—promoting the public service values of a civil servant.” Read more... Putting the “Human” Back in Health Care Dr. Raffy Marfori shares his thoughts on how the health care system needs to evolve with people’s needs. Three years after earning his Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne in 2015, Dr. Jose Rafael “Raffy” A. Marfori, together with like-minded colleagues, is setting up a company in Manila called “health&human”, which specialises in primary care. Read more... Reaching the Next Generation Australia Awards Alumna Sabrina Ongkiko seeks to reform the educational system with stakeholder engagement. It was a light bulb moment for Sabrina Ongkiko when someone asked her if she wanted to be a teacher. “That was when I started thinking about it. Looking back, I realised that I was in education all those years. I was the kind of child who played teacher with her playmates. I even went as far as buying a record book so I could record their quizzes,” she said. She also took charge of their family library, lending out books to friends and going after errant borrowers. Read more... Shining a Light on Sustainability If life is a novel, Australia Awards scholar Jeffrey Tarayao’s childhood is a Dickensian tale of poverty amidst wealth. After being born in a hospital charity ward, he was brought home to a 42 square meter house—the driver’s quarters in a rich family’s home where his father worked. For the next 28 years, he lived in that small space, barely big enough for his family of five, attending an exclusive all-boys’ private school as one of the benefits granted by his father’s employer. Read more...
