On January 31, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) welcomed 51 new students who comprise the MBA 2022B cohort. Five students from this cohort are from India while the rest are from the Philippines. The cohort is a diverse group of professionals from various industries such as commercial and professional services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, construction and engineering, insurance, retail and wholesale trade, and many more.
AIM President and Dean, Dr. Jikyeong Kang, graced the convocation. In her opening remarks, she remarked that taking up a full-time MBA course during a pandemic could be the most important investment the new students will ever make in their lives. Jikyeong encouraged MBA 2022B to not be afraid to challenge themselves and to take risks. She wants the new cohort to learn what they can achieve in their careers through the faculty, each other, and the conflicts they will face in their AIM journey.
WSGSB School Head, Prof. Felipe Calderon, introduced the guest speaker for the convocation.
Eduardo ‘Ed’ Luy, President and COO of MacroAsia Corporation, gave an inspirational message to the new batch of future business leaders. Ed finished his AIM MBA with high distinction back in 2019. He gave the new cohort two advices: the first is to encourage MBA 2022B to collect as much information as they can from the faculty and from their cohort. His second advice is to step outside of their comfort zones and say yes to given opportunities, whether academically-related or not. He shared that while this advice might sound cliché, he reminded the cohort that during their MBA journey, they are meant to try and learn new things and make mistakes.
In closing, he quoted the late Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry and stay foolish.” He believes that success is within MBA 2022B’s grasp if only they reach for it.
MBA Associate Program Director, Prof. Gerry Santamaria, presented the MBA 2022B student profile and the roster of faculty.
The Alumni Relations Office (ARO) salutes the newest cohort of business leaders. We look forward to engaging with you and welcoming you to ARO’s events and activities!
words by Janelle Erika Santos
edited by Bernardino Jiao
