STI Students to Represent PH in the Global Stage

September 28, 2021

For students in the field of technology, keeping oneself up-to-date and being equipped with the latest and in-demand knowledge and skills is a requirement to survive and succeed.

Three STI college seniors didn’t let the abrupt change in their learning modalities get in the way of pursuing their passions. With their talent and hard work, they bested competitors from other universities and made it to the top of the national round of Huawei ICT Competition 2021 – Network Track. This earned them the opportunity to become the Philippines’ representatives to the regional Asia Pacific round of the global competition.

Mharjon Abante, Roy Molod, Jr., and Renante Burgos, Jr. were awarded along with their coach, STI’s IT and Engineering Research Head Beronika Peña, at the Huawei ICT Summit and Awarding Ceremony held virtually on September 17, 2021.

Hailing from different STI campuses, the students were first brought together at the Huawei ICT Academy, an online training partnership where students can get Huawei certified in various fields which include Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), and many more.  

In forming their team, Peña has this to say, “I have witnessed how eager they are when they were studying for their Huawei certifications. I was not surprised when they aced their certification exams. Although this is their first time [for them] to join a national competition, integrating Huawei's technologies into our curriculum has helped in preparing for the competition. We are excited to see these students achieve their dream careers. With their skills and perseverance, we believe they will.”

The Huawei ICT Competition 2021 is a culminating activity where students who have taken Huawei courses can test the mastery of their learnings in the rigorous competition. For 2021, it will be centered on the theme of “Connection, Glory, Future” as the global tech leader aims to recognize, promote, and develop young ICT talents in universities and colleges to move the future of technology forward.

For STI College Santa Rosa’s Roy Molod, Jr., a 4th year BS Computer Engineering student, this win more than thrills him. “I was already content with being able to compete nationally. I just did my best and recalled my one and a half month of preparation on Huawei’s online learning platform, Huawei Talent. It is a big honor to be able to compete in the regional level with other like-minded ICT students around the world,” he shares.

Meanwhile, STI College Ortigas-Cainta’s 4th year BS Computer Engineering student Mharjon Abante talks about the challenges of the competition. “The competition covered many topics. Most of them were technical, which is a good thing because I get to learn new concepts and the possibilities for innovation in the future. Nevertheless, the competition helped me identify the ICT skills that I still need to improve and learn practical applications of different technologies.” He has his classmates and mentors to thank for supporting him in his journey.

The future looks bright for Renante Burgos Jr., a 4th year BS Computer Science student from STI College Vigan, who is passionate for his chosen path. “I was overwhelmed and happy because it was my first time to join a national competition. And now I get to compete on another level! It’s an achievement that I never thought I would achieve. To prepare for the competition, I had a plan to study one topic a day so that I can fully comprehend all topics. I did that one day after the other until the competition day.”

The Huawei and STI partnership is part of the educational institution’s commitment to strengthen their curriculum thru strategic industry linkages and partnerships with key industry leaders. It aims to bolster STI’s learning content and quality of education by integrating industry standards and practices into the classroom setting.