I was an incoming senior wayback college (taking up BS Business Administration – Major in Finance and Treasury Management) when I was luckily selected to represent my school in the 6th American Chamber of Commerce Business Orientation Program. I will never forget how hard it was to be able to pass the exams and the interview. I never expected that I will be part of this event since all the other college students are also considered one of the “best”. But my insight on it changed the moment I received the phone call confirming my delegation.
AmCham BOP was a breakthrough in my life. It taught me how to be more confident when facing and interacting with other people. It was my first time to be able to join a crowd of other business student leaders around the country. I used to have fears when dealing with other people because of the thought that they may not agree on my ideas. But in the AmCham BOP, I experienced one of the best brainstorming of ideas. We listened to each other’s suggestions without hesitation that I think gave way to a great Business Case Study that my group also won (Happee Solutions with Oregano). It was a bright collaboration of the different specialties we have in the business management course.
AmCham BOP also gave me the confidence to join other Leadership Conference which I was also able to interact with student leaders and this time, from a variety of fields like Engineering, Organizational Communication, Tourism, and Foreign Studies as well as other foreign delegates from Singapore. It is like coming out of my shell and sharing to a wider group of people my ideas which I learned in the BOP.
Aside from that, my awareness on the Corporate Social Responsibility was widely enhanced through the companies that we visited. It highlighted that American companies does not only focus on increase of its revenues but also for the benefit of our environment.
But the best part of AmCham BOP is the camaraderie that we shared. I will never forget that week-long activity because I also gained life-long friends. Friends who up to now, are people I share my life stories and be a shoulder that I can lean on.
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I graduated last April 2009 and now working as a Senior Programmer and Software Engineer ( SAP – Financial Accounting and Controlling Programmer) at a Business Outsourcing company based in McKinley Hill, Taguig City.
