John Noel V., a 21-year young guy who participated in the Pathways – Aiducation program, is full of motivation and energy to change himself, his family and his country for the better. Since high school, Noel has been actively involved in the Pathways Program as a participant and volunteer. Noel kindly shares his story in an interview with Aiducation.

Noel, what are you working on at the moment?

I graduated last year and earned my Bachelor of Science major in Management Information Systems with a Specialization in Business Intelligence from Ateneo de Manila University, a Jesuit-run Catholic university here in the Philippines.
Straight out of my undergraduate studies, I continued my studies and set to finish my Masters of Science in Computer Science in Ateneo as well.
During my studies, I work as a Research Assistant in Ateneo Social Computing Science (ASCS) laboratory and SHINE laboratory for two projects. I lead the development of a disaster management system for the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and I facilitate the online submission of electronic medical records to the Department of Health.
I am also involved as the Vice President for Administration of Alay ni Ignacio, the student organization within Pathways. I am mainly in charge of the financial transactions of the student organization.

How did you first hear of the Pathways program that Aiducation helps fund? How did you get the chance to participate in it?

I first heard about Pathways when I was in my sophomore year in high school. Back then, volunteers from Alay ni Ignacio went to our school to invite us to join their summer school program. Since I had nothing to do for the summer, I tried out and got in. Fast-forward, I learned that the summer school program of Alay ni Ignacio is just part of the bigger program of Pathways to Higher Education, which I then joined. The Pathways Program envisions Filipino students from grassroots background becoming this country’s next set of leaders through higher education and a leadership formation program.

In which ways did this program influence your life and what was the most important outcome for you?

Breaking financial barriers to enable bright youth realize their potential is at the core of Aiducation partnership work with Pathways Philippines. Embodying this passionate reality is Joanne M. – a young and bright AiduFellow from Marikina, Philippines. Her eloquent responses show the impact actively equipping bright yet financially disadvantaged students makes to turn dreams and aspirations into reality – for the student and larger community.

AI: Joanne, can you please tell us a bit about your family and yourself?
I am a BSc Life Sciences major in Ateneo de Manila University, plan to continue my studies in a medical school and hope to become a full-fledged doctor. My mother is an employee at Philippine Match Industries, Inc. and my father is unemployed. I have two sisters, one just started working as an accountant, and the other is still in her third year in college taking up Psychology. Fortunately, both of us are scholars in our schools. Our family income is just enough to get us by but, through our scholarships, we are able to receive high quality education and secure our future.

Aside from studying, I am also actively involved in several organizations in the university which I think is very essential in my development as a person and as a leader. I have been an active participant of Pathways to Higher Education for almost six years now. In addition, I have also been a member of the Pre-Medical Society of the Ateneo and the Ateneo Biological Organization, both of which are related to my course. I also became a deputy in the organization side of Matanglawin, one of the publications in the university.

AI: What are the top three things you are passionate about?
I am passionate towards achieving my dream and pursuing a career in medicine. I have longed to become a doctor since I was a child, and this desire to become a doctor has been intensified through my various experiences inside and outside the school. I hope to become a doctor someday that does not only work within the confines of the hospital but also out there in the real world, genuinely engaged with the people.

I also love working and interacting with children. I find myself to be especially happy when I am with little kids. The kids have shown it is from this passion of mine that I am considering to be taking pediatrics as a specialization in the future.

Julius F., an AiduAlumni who finished secondary school in 2011, is a role model of giving back to society. Today, he is putting all his efforts into changing what he experienced first-hand during his secondary education.

Julius was born in Langobaya, a very remote and poor area in the Malindi district. Even though his performance at primary school was outstanding, and even though he was admitted to a very good high school, he had to experience what thousands of Kenyans unfortunately experience every year: He dropped out of school as he could not afford the school fees. Having stayed at home for a full year in 2008, he finally got the good news from Aiducation that he had received a scholarship to continue his secondary education.

Even at that young age, Julius believed in the value of education and giving back to his community. Thus, when Julius graduated from secondary school four among the top 20% years later, he laid the ground work to create his own school for poor children in his rural community. To start, Julius worked in a private school as an untrained teacher for two years. This let him save some money and get a micro credit loan from a bank to establish his own primary school: “Malindi Cornerstone Academy”. His school officially opened in January 2014 and now educates over 60 pupils from nursery to grade four. “Unlike the other private schools in Kenya, my school is completely different,” Julius explains, “because I opened this school for the poor. I basically want to help children from poor families like me to access quality education if possible at no cost at all.”

Julius’ students have reasons to be happy

The MBA class of 2015 at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School launched Shaveducation in November as part of their fundraising efforts for Aiducation.

The MBA class of 2015 at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School launched Shaveducation at the end of 2014 as part of their fundraising efforts for Aiducation. Shaveducation was coined after one class member, Vassilis Paschos, pledged to finally shave off his beard, grown for 4 years, to raise money for the charity. In solidarity, a group of other hirsute MBA men fostered their own facial hair, to be shawn off come the end of November. Soon, Judge Business School was a sea of curious facial coiffures and patchy stubble.

Shaveducation ended with Vassilis being ceremonially clean-shaven by a local barber in front of an audience of donating classmates – a fantastic ending to a successful term of activities which raised over £1200.

More than 70 guests joined the first Aiducation Impact Dinner on November 13th and witnessed Aiducation’s impact in Kenya and the Philippines by meeting Rio E., our first ever Aiducation student in the Philippines and Solvie T. Nubla-Lee, the managing director of Pathways Philippines, our local partner organisation in the Philippines.

Another highlight was the report and video of the first SwissRe Start-up Academy held in Kenya, where our Aiducation Alumni learned about building a business and where their start-up ideas were challenged.

The Aiducation team says « thank you » to our AiduAmbassador Gerd Folkers for hosting Aiducation an their guests at the prestigous Dozentenfoyer of ETH Zurich with its spectacular view over the city. Many thanks also to all other AiduAmbassadors, the SV group as well as the wine sponsor „Zähringer Weinhaus“ for making this night so enjoyable and memorable for everyone.