Get on LinkedIn, connect with these people and message them from there.
Who knows, they might actually respond. People based in the US use LinkedIn more, and use it better. But, please, no stalker-ish messages or even desperate pleas. Be professional.
Even if they don't respond, then you could also just look at their profiles and measure your chances. Though the author below encourages the reader to "Dream big," I think she should have been more judicious in choosing her interviewees. These people had histories that included Ateneo de Manila, Princeton, McKinsey or a large family business -- seriously, if you add the diversity factor, there's a pretty big chance already for them to get in. Not to discourage you or anything, but I think the author of this article could have come up with a better intro. Or chosen a Pinoy in Harvard who had a less-distinguished background to support her "Dream big" mantra.
Maybe that future inspiration could be you.
Proudly Pinoy in Harvard
IT'S NOT every day that we hear stories of Filipinos journeying halfway around the world into the ivy halls of one of the world's most prestigious schools and doing good there.
Here, three recent Harvard Business School MBA graduates share their experiences studying abroad, their hopes and dreams for the country, and how it was to be a Pinoy in Harvard.
Jennifer Anne Kelly
Describe the Harvard campus.
The campus itself is stunning, and its location by the Charles River is beautiful. It?s all you can ever wish for. The library is amazing, so is the student housing. The classroom is really conducive and my favorite part is the faculty. They?re absolutely wonderful; their ability to facilitate discussions in class and their openness and willingness to talk to students who want to pop by their office to ask questions. You can go in there and talk about life; what you want in life, what inspires you.
How's the Filipino community there?
We have a very tight community and we make sure we?re in touch with a broader community like those from Harvard College, Law School, Kennedy School, etc., to make sure that all the Filipinos gather together several times a year. We either cook or order Filipino food, which is the best thing because you miss Filipino cuisine after awhile.
When Ondoy struck the Filipino community in Harvard really worked together to raise funds for the victims. We were part of the student calamity fundraising project which was able to raise $35,000 for the victims. It was really inspiring how engaged Filipino students are even abroad. You can see how much passion they have about the country.
How's your academic load? What do you do to unwind?
The coursework requires reading a lot of books, but for leisure we love to travel. Our group of Filipinos and also the South East Asian group have gone to Europe, south of France, Miami, Jamaica, Argentina. The best part of school is having free time, about a couple of days to a week off, and having a group of friends that are all happy to explore the world.
What does it take for someone to survive in this highly competitive environment?
It takes a lot of discipline, not just in your studies, but in learning both within and outside the classroom. Fifty percent of your grade is participation, so you have to be on all the time. You need confidence to convince people about your ideas. It's very useful in real life. The entire class is composed of 900 students, and we're divided into 10 sections. Harvard made sure each class is a cross section of various viewpoints, so there's someone in the group for finance, an engineer, etc., such that we can learn something new every day.
What is your advice for the Filipino youth?
Dream big. Dream as big as you can ever dream of. If you think you're dreaming big enough, dream even bigger because you're young and there are so many opportunities, and the world is in the palm of your hands. Don't let anything stop you.
Oliver Segovia
Why did you decide to go to Graduate School?
During my undergraduate years, I had 3 career paths in mind: consulting, private equity and real estate. Coming out of the Ateneo taught me about liberal arts, how to think about world, and a good appreciation of how the world works. I was always passionate about real estate growing up because it?s the family business, and also because there are only a few industries that affect people in a fundamental way.
I saw the MBA as a way of learning more about those passions, getting the skills I need to succeed in that field, and knowing people who work in those industries.
Business is a very relational social endeavor. You have to know different people, learn from different perspectives, so I applied.
How was the application process?
I submitted a resume along with essays, letters of recommendation from employer or from people who know me well, and I had an interview. The toughest part for me was the essays, because you are given limited space and a loaded question to answer. On the surface, the questions (i.e., describe your three greatest achievements in 600 words) seem simple but it's pretty hard to answer because it takes a lot of introspection.
Harvard wasn't looking for people who can easily talk about how great they are or how smart they are or how much they've already achieved, because there's a lot more people like that. But to dig really deep and figure out what really motivates you, what's your purpose in life; having that level of self-awareness to be able to talk candidly and get some lessons out of that was pretty challenging.
Now that you've graduated, what are your plans?
I'm writing a book, which started out as a project in school for the next few months. It?s about leadership and the future of business education which will be published by the Harvard Business School Press. I am planning on pursuing a full-time career in real estate.
How can you help the country given your background and training?
We had a case in a class on political economy, where we had to study the Philippines as a country and about our 10 million overseas Filipino workers and their remittances. Telling them about the OFW story was fascinating and also unbelievable for them, because they could not imagine the number of broken families there are because so many were forced to work abroad.
Perhaps, by telling the world more about the Philippines, more people would want to invest here, go as tourists and study what we've achieved. Also, by learning as much as I can from the best real estate firms, the best countries that are known for their real estate practices, the level of professionalization in those industries and by adapting it back home, I can put them all in the book.
I say to the youth, keep on learning because if there's anything I've learned, it's that I don't know anything yet. It's a very humbling experience but Harvard Business School taught me how to learn. That's the skill of being very open, being hungry for information, hungry to learn from people, places, companies, etc., in a systematic and structured way; and finally, of being able to help other people learn as well.
Paolo Campos III
How do you find studying in Harvard?
I was an undergrad in Princeton before enrolling at the Harvard MBA program, so I had a foretaste of what to expect since I had to do a lot of adjusting being the only Pinoy at Princeton at that time. Studying abroad and virtually on my own forced me outside of my comfort zone, which allowed me to grow as a person. It heightened my sense of being a Filipino, and the experience convinced me to come home and reinforce the fact that this is my country. I do have a responsibility to do what I can to make things better.
What were the difficulties you encountered?
There's definitely being home sick (sic) and missing my family and friends. As much as I was able to learn from other people from elsewhere, at the end of the day you?re all alone at home. That was the challenge, having to live independently without your security blanket.
But it was also very fulfilling to meet such amazing people from all over the world. [School was] very tough academically, but Filipinos are very well equipped to be very competitive in an academic setting. We are a very global people; generally speaking, we have a variety of cultural influences as a nation. Filipinos can hold their own academically or otherwise, despite the challenges.
Who is your favorite world leader?
Barack Obama. We were there when he got elected, we had just started school. I think he's coming up against the challenges of a chief executive. He was a masterful campaigner, and really got people to rally around his vision. Words are one thing, actions are another but just being in the States I really saw a shift from people being apolitical and not caring about politics during the Bush years, and then Obama came along and people started to care-whether for him or against him.
President Noynoy Aquino is a transformative figure in the same mould as Obama, and he got people to rally around his vision, too. The challenge for him now, like Obama, is to make the shift from the candidate of hope to being an effective administrator.
If you were to send P-Noy a message, what would it be?
Focus on the private sector to be the engine of growth. Fulfill your promise to stamp out corruption. Because it inhibits investments when there's a lot of red tape. As a foreign or local investor, you won't have much confidence in the government that allows graft to flourish.
Also, look for ways to expand public-private partnerships. That's the way to go. Take advantage of the renewed interest in the Philippines because as fiscally constrained as we are on the government side of things, there's just so much potential from the private sector to really play the role.
Also, we need to leverage OFW/ Filipinos overseas because they have so much skillm (sic) and by encouraging them to come home and set up businesses here, we can turn that into a positive force for change in the country.
What advice can you give to the youth?
Believe that the world is your oyster. You're only limited by how expansive your thinking is, how expansive your hopes and dreams are. Have a goal that you really believe in, and everything comes from that. Talk to people with the same career path, learn from those who've come before you. Don't be afraid to pursue that idea which will change the world. When you do that, everything else will fall into place.
Don't get discouraged by the fact that schools in the US are very expensive. Look for full scholarships, because for those that can qualify and may lack the means, they give out grants.
