“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with “
During my early years back in the Philippines, I grew up seeing my grandfather manage a propane tank business while selling homemade desserts that supplied stores all over the city of Baguio. I grew up seeing my grandmother walk back and forth, selling goods to our neighbors in a small “sari-sari store” she owned. I grew up seeing my mom working day in and day out as a CEO of a recruitment agency business. I knew that very hard-working people surrounded me, but I didn’t realize that I was slowly adapting to my family’s strong work ethic.
I always believed that you are the average of the five people you always spend most of your time with; this is what happened to me. I moved to the U.S. in 2012 and lived in a very different environment. I started getting homesick and lacked motivation. By 17, I got my first job at McDonald’s. I started surrounding myself again with hard-working people and spent most of my time listening and learning from managers, mentors, and leaders.
At this time, I am a Shidler Undergraduate studying Business Management and MIS. I also work for the State of Hawaii in the Department of Public Safety as an HR Support Staff and serve as a cannon crew member in the Hawaii Army National Guard. I strive for excellence every day and try to work harder and be better than I was yesterday.
I decided to major in MIS after being advised by one of my mentors, a supervisory special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He worked in the cybersecurity division and recommended that I take an information technology/systems class to catch up on the digital world we live in today. I took his advice and not only took some courses but instead majored in the field of study.