Reaching for the stars

One of the few perks of working at the Corporate Communications Team is the opportunity to attend cool events organized by fellow Corp. Comms. members. I had the privilege of meeting two very inspiring people at the last 2 DHL-organized events. And saw two encouraging signs for my future.

First was Illac Angelo Diaz. Yes the former model/actor, but that's not the reason why I am ecstatic about meeting him. He is the Philippine's 1^st National winner for the DHL Young Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (YES) Awards. He attended the regional YES awards in Singapore and I had a chance to meet him. This guy has impressive list of achievements- he earned his MBA at the Asian Institute of Management; was awarded the first TOYM Award for social entrepreneurship; went to MIT on research fellowship; and has now moved on as a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government!

But what's more impressive is the fact that he has put his skills and learning into projects that benefit our fellowmen. He established Pier One- no not the restaurant! This is a dormitory for Filipino sea farers. Another project he pioneered is the MyShelter Foundation- a non-profit organization which addresses housing and educational infrastructure concerns of rural areas.

As a Filipino, I was oh so proud when his name was called during the presentation of awardees at the DHL YES Regional Awards. Did I mention that he is still as dashing as ever especially in his barong tagalong walking down the catwalk leading up to the stage during the awards ceremony?

Oh and his fellowship at MIT was through a Fulbright-Humphrey award! Coincidence or serendipity?

The second stellar individual I met was Anousheh Ansari. She was the guest speaker at the DHL Leadership Dialogue Series held on September 12, 2007 at the National Museum of Singapore. Anousheh is a multi-million entrepreneur who made her fortune in the telecoms industry and was the 1st female private space explorer and 1^st space ambassador (yeah, you can now buy tickets to go to outer space!). Extremely inspiring woman! She dreamed of seeing the stars when she was a kid in Iran and she did! Talk about reaching for the stars.

Anyway, guess where she completed her master's degree? At George Washington University !!! Is this yet another sign for my future as a grad student under Fulbright? I surely hope so! Spoke to her and told her I was aiming to get accepted to GWU. She said to let her know if she needs to put in a good word for me. Is she just being polite? Heck, I don't care- she gave me her card and I will send her an e-mail to remind her of it. I hope it reaches her though. She's heavily involved in CSR for children, education, culture and of course, technology. This is like an opportunity presenting itself to me!

Again, I ask myself- coincidence or serendipity?

I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend these kinds of events. These leave you with such a positive energy and prompt you to do something significant with your life- to live not just for yourself but for multitudes of other people as well.