Vancouver PCG Conducts Fourth Mentorship Session for Filipino International Students

Consul General Arlene T. Magno delivers her opening remarks at the start of the mentorship session for Filipino international students held at the University Canada West.

14 May 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, In partnership with the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in British Columbia (UPAABC) and the Filipino International Student Association (FilSA) of University Canada West (UCW), conducted the fourth mentorship session for Filipino international students in British Columbia, and the first for the year, at the UCW campus in downtown Vancouver.

Consul General Arlene Magno articulated the importance of the mentorship sessions in addressing the concerns and challenges of newly-arrived Filipino international students and helping inspire them to succeed in their chosen industries of choice through the inspiration and information they will acquire from the stories of the Mentors.

Ms. Eileen Wang,Associate Director of UCW Career Development, and Ms. Bella Balisi Bevilaqua, President of UPAABC, welcome the participants to the Mentorship Session.

Dr. Gabriel Daza Orendain, UCW Professor and FILSA Faculty Advisor, recaps the key insights from the mentors as he closes the program.

More than 70 Filipino international students from various educational institutions in Vancouver attended the Mentorship Session with speakers representing the fields of Project Management (Victoria Rubio-Buechler, Project Manager at Fujitec Canada, Inc.), Marketing (Maria Charito Muyco-Magno, Program Manager at Western Community College), Accounting and Finance (Joanne Alcid, Senior Finance Specialist at the University of British Columbia), Business Analytics (Gerry Yanga, Workforce Insights Specialist at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia), and Human Resource and Talent Management (Eli Yanga, Senior Manager for Organization Development & Change at the British Columbia Provincial Government).

Consul General Arlene T. Magno (5^th from left) poses with Ms. Eileen Wang of UCW (6L) and Ms. Bella Balisi Bevilaqua of UPAABC (4L), together with Mentors Joanne Alcid, Senior Finance Specialist at the University of British Columbia (leftmost),  Maria Charito Muyco-Magno, Program Manager at Western Community College (2L), Victoria Rubio-Buechler, Project Manager at Fujitec Canada, Inc. (3L), Eli Yanga, Senior Manager for Organization Development & Change at the British Columbia Provincial Government (3R), Gerry Yanga, Workforce Insights Specialist at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (2R), FILSA President Mariden Miranda (4R), and UCW Professor Dea Lamparas (rightmost) who served as the moderator of the event. 

The mentors took turns in sharing their professional journeys and their hurdles along the way, providing invaluable tips on building their social support network and unique portfolios, and reminding the students about the importance of remaining resilient, open-minded, patient, and kind to oneself throughout the process.  They also spoke of their previous work experiences in the Philippines and how their lack of “Canadian Experience” became a foundation to empower themselves through hard work, perseverance and education that helped them succeed in Canada.

Consul General Arlene T. Magno (seated fourth from left) together with the co-organizers UPAABC and FilSA, UCW, Mentors, volunteers and attendees of the mentorship session