By Kristine Anjela C. Pablo 

Marketing Professional (MarkProf) in partnership with Maya, marked the end of the five-month boot camp of MarkProf 19 trainees last February 25. 

For graduating students, getting opportunities to enhance their career is one of their top priorities. Markprof has been providing a free 8-day marketing training program for qualified graduating college students nationwide since 2003.

Among 1,000 students coming from different universities who apply each year, only 25 students were chosen to receive a scholarship and mentorship. These scholars delved into various corporate brands and sponsors–among these is Far Eastern University (FEU) fourth-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communication student, Gebrel Al Bari. 

Braving the marketing industry

Unlocking new experiences and creating impact for grassroot communities became Al Bari’s drive in joining Markprof. He believes that this will be the perfect career jump-starter for young marketing and advertising leaders, which encouraged him to go for it. 

As part of Batch 19, the fourth-year student shared one of the challenges he and his group faced–preparing for the final big idea case presentation. Despite burning the midnight oil, he was thankful to be surrounded by group mates who shared the same resolve in achieving their goal. 

Braving the presentation with their prototype cards and video advertisement for Maya, their group was hailed champion–as their constructed idea piqued the panelists’ interest. 

Like any other student, Al Bari experienced his ups and downs. He even experienced ranking last in one of their challenges but it did not interfere with his ambitions.

“They say if you’re scared, do it scared. You don’t have to be the most intelligent person to thrive in Markprof. Grit and leadership are what this boot camp needs,” Al Bari advised. 

FEU stint in MarkProf

Tamaraws were not new to having the prestigious boot camp experience. Jeff Irvin joined in Batch 15, followed by Patricia Jane Icatlo and Harry Tuazon from Batch 16. 

For Batch 17, Kenneth Adrian Alabado, Johanna Trcia Cinco, Dianne Erika Mortera, and Marc Bryan Punan represented the green and gold community, followed by Rigel Kent Alvaran and Jalyn Huang of Batch 18. 

Fourth-year BA in International Studies student Dianne Erik Mortera recalled how she decided to join MarkProf as one of her seniors from FEU’s Oratorical and Debate Council (ORADEC) shared how impactful the experience was. 

Now as a MarkProf alumna, she became part of the training team for Batch 19 and thanked the boot camp for imparting her real-life skills and learnings. 

“If you want to join a program that's hinged on advocacy and assures you of professional and  personal growth, go for MarkProf. It is for the strongest and builds the best future leaders,” she highlighted. 

Making the most out of Maya

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Maya’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Pepe Torres, highlighted what inspired their partnership with MarkProf.

“Maya as a brand, one of our key segments that we want are the youth, Gen-Z people in their 20s, this would be a great opportunity to hear from young budding marketers,” Torres emphasized. 

The CMO also shared some of their best practices which he divided into two: these students are working on something real, the reality of being in a business, and second, their rigor being in this high-performance program turning them into the best entry-level marketers. 

Nick Wilwayco, Head of Maya’s  Public Affairs and Communication emphasized that these Gen-Zs who are already familiar with what MarkProf does, helped with their collaboration, accelerating the potential full-time hires. 

Wilwayco was also ecstatic to know that they value the philosophy of collaboration by bringing out the best in one another and creating such dynamics. 

Being such a rigorous program, Torres and Wilwayco advised young students to always show up, go for it, and be proactive. 

Breeding future leaders

Chiqui Escarel Go, Josiah Go, and Diosado Salvador saw the vision of giving students a curriculum that no other university offers, starting MarkProf’s mission in 2003. 

One of its co-founders, Go explained that they focused on their “beyond-the-classroom” approach, discussing the answers to marketing principles and encouraging them to be innovative. 

Despite the previous batches held online because of the pandemic, Go still advised future participants that joining such a prestigious boot camp requires both physical and mental preparation. 

In addition, MarkProf 19 president Alex Bajarias highlighted that MarkProf is not only exploring basic marketing principles but also what it is like to be in this career. 

From the shift to face-to-face because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bajarias saw how eager their students were to mount knowledge partners to talk in their seminars, gathering sponsors and companies. 

“Plan ahead, they just can’t cram MarkProf because as we know, they try to join so much stuff but like getting in MarkProf preparation is one. Preparing that grit and mindset,” Bajarias advised. 

Being in a team of people who share the same passion and zeal is something that these MarkProf participants gained. More than just their knowledge, they learned the realities of life while valuing collective effort. 

MarkProf will continue to bring its mission of providing real-life scenarios in doing business. As for Maya, this may be the start of their many partnerships and they hope for another batch of students who will take on the challenge of becoming voyagers of change using marketing and advertising.