JG-SOMBA Students Participate in International Events
Students of the John Gokongwei School of Management Business Accelerator (JG-SOMBA) program represented the Ateneo and the country in various engagements and competitions during the 3-week long sembreak.
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Stephen Ong and Christa Choa with Prof. Adams of the National University of Singapore. |
Christa Choa, Renee King and Chris Palarca. |
Stephen Ong (III BS MIS) and Christa Choa (II BS ComTech) were recognized as the first runner-up team in the ASES Venture Capital Conference held in Singapore. Their work, chosen from among other international participants, presented and analyzed the business feasibility of a Web2.0-centered tech firm. Renee King (IV BS Mgt) and Chris Palarca (IV BS Mgt) were awarded as the third runner-up team for presenting their analysis on a company developing face-recognition technology. Katrina Almaria (IV BS Mgt) also participated in the conference. The awarding ceremony took place last October 31 at the Suntec Convention Centre in Singapore.
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Joana Tan (far right) with fellow delegates from the Philippines. |
Justin dela Cruz in Seoul. |
Two other JG-SOMBA students were chosen by the National Youth Commission of the Philippines to represent the country. They are Joana Tan (III BS MIS) and Justin dela Cruz (V BS MGT). Joana took part in the China-ASEAN Youth Forum held in Nanning, China. Her role there involved exchanging ideas on the welfare of youth volunteerism within China and the ASEAN countries. On the other hand, Justin took part in the 2006 Korean Inter-Governmental Exchange Program held in Seoul. He was tasked with strengthening the relationship between Korea and the Philippines through exposure of the Korean government's various youth institutions.
Currently, Stephen, Christa, Chris, Joana and Justin are members of DITO, Inc., a tech startup enrolled in the JG-SOMBA program. Along with other students in the Ateneo, they are committed to building an organization that can develop problem-solving and empowering technologies. Renee King is the general manager of Tamang Timpla, Inc., a food company also enrolled in the JG-SOMBA program. Tamang Timpla, Inc. is at the forefront of producing freshly-squeezed bottled calamansi. Kat Almaria is the general manager of Quade, Inc, a JG-SOMBA company marketing caffeine-free soy coffee. The JG-SOMBA program aims to provide the framework to make a student-run business start-up increase its chances of success through business incubation.