Filipino News 15 January 2017

15- 31 JAN 2017. ISSUE 95 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz Facebook: Filipino Migrant News 13
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At the University of Auckland there are
dozens of young Filipino students pursuing
degrees, be they undergraduate or
postgraduate. A smooth transition from young
students to young professionals; that is the
dream.
Also studying at the university are Filipino
postgraduate students - some are resident
here and others from overseas - who are role
models for many of the undergraduate students
of the Filipino Students’ Association
(FSA).
Building their experience and prestige for
their chosen career paths, they have chosen to
study in Auckland for the social and political
development of the Philippines as well.
I have chosen to interview my Ates and Kuyas
because I believe their stories should be
heard. As they are the next generation at the
helm of our futures, they are a few of the
many who continue to thrive, defy, and
progress for all the right reasons. Ready to
take charge, and make a difference.
First, let’s begin with introductions.
ROLE MODELS
FOR OUR
UNDERGRADS
PART 1
THE POSTGRADUATES: (left to right) Analyn, Don, Gladys, Mark, Harold
By MARIAH ALYSSA MEDEL, FMN Columnist
GLADYS RABACAL is
a postgraduate student
studying towards her
Masters in Development
Studies. The social development
of the Philippines,
and of other developing
countries is the main focus
of her career. Previously a
programme officer for
Japan International Agency,
social development
has been filling her CV
since day one post-her
Bachelor’s degree. The
Japan International Agency
is, a Japanese agency which
delivers social development
programmes in the Philippines,
her role with them
mainly entailed handling
“peace and development,
maternal and child health.”
A graduate of UP Diliman,
she is a true academic and
career woman.
MARK PANGANIBAN
is currently a business management
student at the university,
studying under the
NZ Development scholarship.
He was a member of
the Presidential Management
Staff, under President
Noynoy Aquino prior to
studying in Auckland.
He graduated from the
Univer-sity of the
Philippines, Manila a year
before working at
Malacañang. At his alma
mater, he also worked for
two months as a technical
officer for their English language
and enrichment programme.
DON PATRICK MAN-
LANGIT was the previous
President of the FSA, who
continues to guide and help
the new executives of the
association.
A graduate of UP Diliman,
he also has a very
impressive career and educational
background, at a
very young age.
A professional landscape
architect, he is pursuing further
study with a Master’s
Degree in Urban Planning
and Urban Design at the
University of Auckland. His
hands on experience with
urban planning and design
has brought him a long way,
from working for Century
Properties and the Auckland
Council, to now
working as a tutor at the
University of Auckland.
ATTY. ANALYN AVI-
LA is a feisty and fun-loving
lawyer who continues
to impress and awe the
more we get to know her.
Once an associate solicitor
in the Office of the
Solicitor General, her stay
here is the beginning of a
new career pathway.
A true career woman, like
all of our Ate’s, she went
from probinsyana to a
Manila lawyer defying
stereotypes and showing
voracious determination to
be more than average.
From Sta. Lucia, Ilocos
Sur, she took an alternative
route than the usual off-to-
Manila pathway fresh High
School graduates often
took. Instead, she went to
Baguio City to study at
Saint Louis University, the
largest university north of
Manila and one of the
Philippines’ most respected
and leading educational
institutions.
HAROLD AQUINO is
an instructor at his alma
mater, the University of the
Philippines-Diliman.
There he also graduated
with a Bachelor of Science
in Civil Engineering, cum
laude. He is currently a PhD
student at the University of
Auckland, when he’s not
too busy going around Asia
and representing the Philippines
in various seminars,
competitions and what
not. We call him ‘#goals’
which he is also bashful
about, but it is true because
he helps us stay in check
with our progress. He continues
to challenge us and
impart his knowledge and
experiences, to help us
grow and learn, like the true
teacher he is.
continues on page 14