Describe your personal brand.

Uplifting the lives of others one community at a time.

Both in the aspect of real estate and self, a community can make the biggest impact in someone's life. By building a sense of community in myself and others, I hope to help them achieve their goals.

What were you doing before The NUS MBA?

Before my MBA, I graduated with a degree in Business Economics from the University of the Philippines. I spent 8 years working at Amaia Land under the project development group, where I launched numerous townhouse, midrise, and high-rise condominium projects all over Luzon. Because I was interested in the real estate industry, I became a member of the Urban Land Institute, where I interacted with other industry professionals in the Philippines.

Post-MBA, I've returned to Amaia under a new department to lead the New Business, Innovation and Sustainability Group. I'm able to integrate the strategy, innovation and sustainability modules that I took up during my MBA to design new products and implement initiatives for the affordable housing sector. It's an exciting role for me knowing that I can change the landscape of housing in the Philippines.

Please share your key achievements and leadership roles on the programme.

I knew that I wanted to give a lot to my MBA cohort therefore I took up many volunteer roles and organized events both in and out of clubs. As a member of the pencil pack, I managed the NUS MBA blogsite and covered multiple events by taking photos and writing articles. As a core member of the Marketing Club, I co-organized a Product Management event by getting a speaker who coincidentally was a former brand manager turned product manager. As a real estate enthusiast, I organized property tours thanks to my mentor from ULI Singapore that was attended by a couple of my classmates. This all while supporting the events of the Exco and other clubs and admissions and marketing initiatives of the MBA office.

It was a lot of volunteer work, extra hours of the day and some weekends but it allowed me to give something to the student body even without a formal position in the student council. It was what I wanted to do when I started my MBA, and I'm glad I could pursue it in more ways than one. Recently, I was also included in the Poets & Quants 100 Best and Brightest MBA Graduates of 2023, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to receive such an acknowledgement.

What has been the single most stand-out experience of your MBA?

My most standout experience would be when I went to exchange at IESE. I left the comforts and familiarity of the NUS MBA Community and Singapore to start over again on my exchange. I lived in Spain for three months, immersed myself in new cultures and increased my network globally. Because their student body had a big population from South America, I could experience a traditional Argentine Asado among other events they had throughout the semester. I'm grateful that the NUS MBA programme has such strong connections with partner schools like IESE that I had the opportunity to learn and collaborate with them first-hand. It was a holistic complement to the classes I had at NUS.

What advice would you give to other MBA aspirants?

There is a thin line between self-promotion and boasting, but that shouldn't stop you from putting yourself out there, or you'll miss out on many opportunities. I wouldn't have achieved any of this or worked with such great people if I hadn't volunteered my time for club and school events. Your MBA journey is what you make of it; find the activities, people, and opportunities that make it worthwhile.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to reach out to people. You may be surprised they're more willing to help you than you thought. And if one day you get to be in a position where you can help someone, always take the chance to do it.