Huawei Philippines organized a virtual event to warmly welcome its first
batch of scholars from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the oldest existing
university in Asia.
Thomasian students Hermil Gerard Calasang, Jia Anette Phi, Kryzha Lei
Aguilar, Maricar Auditor and Matthew Gabriel Rabanes joined the Huawei family
as scholars with a bright future ahead of them.
In her speech, Dean Jerralyn Padua of the UST College of Information and
Computing Sciences shared how the pandemic has affected all families in terms
of their financial capabilities to support the education of their children.
"This opportunity given
by the Huawei team is really very helpful for them to be able to continue their
education despite the current situation in the
country."
Dr. Angelo Dela Cruz, Dean of College of Engineering, considered the
scholarship program as "very timely" given the financial difficulties
faced by many students amid the pandemic. "Actually, I have just received
at least 20 promissory notes last week during our enrollment. We hope the
scholarship program will be the beginning of many more activities and programs
between Huawei and UST that will ultimately benefit our students."
Prof. Cheryl Peralta, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, said the program
is "a great blessing and a beacon of hope in this very challenging
time." "We believe that effective and productive collaborations help
enrich the experience of students and university staff and allow them to do
their best in the Now Normal, not only to survive but to thrive in the new
opportunities brought about by the rapidly changing world of technology."
Meanwhile, Asst. Prof. Maria Cecilia Tio Cuison, Director of the Office
of Student Affairs, expressed her gratitude to Huawei for the opportunity to
help Thomasian
students realize their dreams. "We owe it to you as a solid partner
in the educative mission. You have widened our doors for far-reaching
opportunities that pave the way for us to fulfill our envisioned goals,
especially to sustain our strong linkage with the industry to expand
educational opportunities," Tio Cuison
added.
For his part, Huawei Philippines Human Resources Director Peter Zhang
congratulated the five scholars, saying they are bound for great things and
that they play a key role in helping the society through ICT. Zhang also
thanked UST for the partnership: "We look forward to having a continuous
cooperation with UST in the coming years and supporting more deserving students
as well as the talent ecosystem for the ICT
industry."
The scholars are in their fourth and final year in their respective
programs. With their passion for technology, they hope to continue their
education despite hardships, with the goal of starting a career in the ICT
industry soon and being one of those who drive innovation in the country.
At present, Huawei Philippines has 19 scholars from local universities.
As a company that values education and talents, Huawei Philippines has been
partnering with local universities and colleges to support Filipino students in
various ways and help them achieve their aspirations. Huawei advocates for
Education4All by providing educational institutions with digital skills
workshops and scholarships, among other initiatives.