The Pursuit of Success

This is my story...I want to share it with you humbly, hoping to be an inspiration and encouragement to my fellow brothers and sisters at SMS and my fellow STIERs.

STI IDOL: The Pursuit of Success
By: Chicky Recheta
Alumni and Career Services Manager, STI-HQ
Published in the March 2009 Issue of STIMULI

A native of Gainza, Camarines Sur, Alejo is the fifth of seven children of Juan San Buenaventura, Jr. and Merly Sarcilla. His father is a tailor by profession and also tends to the small farm with his wife. With seven children to take care of, life was difficult for the San Buenaventura family.

Alejo graduated Valedictorian from Loob Elementary School. Although his two elder sisters were taking up their Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, the family could not afford to send Alejo to high school as he had to make way for his two sisters. He knew that the only way he could further his studies would be through a scholarship. His sisters were eventually able to complete their degrees, also by way of scholarship grants and through perseverance.

Alejo then took the examinations conducted by the Sisters of Mary School, an institution providing free food, shelter, clothing, and secondary education to poor but deserving students all over the Philippines. He was one of the two from his school lucky enough to pass the exams and interviews given by the nuns. At a tender age, Alejo had to move and live in the Sisters of Mary School campus in Silang, Cavite, miles away from his family. He only got to visit his family once a year for a short period of two weeks. Fighting homesickness, he decided to immerse himself in his studies and also participated in extra-curricular activities. He finished high school as Third Honorable Mention from a batch of more than 700 graduating students.

With the help of the Sisters of Mary, Alejo started to look for a job as their curriculum in high school was equipped with vocational courses such as refrigeration and air conditioning, auto mechanic, driving, and courses in computers. He landed a job as a draftsman/CAD operator in SHI Designing & Manufacturing, Inc. (SDMI), a Japanese firm and started working at the age of 17.

After working for a year, he took night classes and in 2003, earned a diploma course in computer programming. He was also transferred to the IT department of the company as junior programmer trainee.

Later, Alejo decided to pursue a 4-year course and enrolled at STI College Shaw (formerly EDSA-Crossing) in B.S. Computer Science. Not only was Alejo a working student who was active in extra-curricular activities, but he also financed his younger brother’s studies who graduated in March 2007 with the degree of Electronics and Communications Engineering. Both brothers now share in putting their youngest brother through an Electrical Engineering course in Manila. Alejo acts as the guardian of his younger brothers and their role model. Not forgetting how he was able to finish high school, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni of the Sisters of Mary School Inc.

Recognizing his achievements, STI awarded him the distinction of being the STI Student of the Year for 2008. Days before his graduation, Gurango Software met and employed him on the spot while attending Shaw’s National Job Placement Month. Now, Alejo San Buenaventura’s next goal is to get a Master’s Degree in Information Technology or Computer Science to further his knowledge and skills in the global IT industry. He also does not discount the possibility of having a career in the academe.

“I want to share the knowledge and experiences I learned from my previous, current, and maybe future careers. I think the love for teaching really runs in our family as my sisters are both public school teachers. I believe that more than the monetary reward, the opportunity to touch other people’s lives and leave a lasting imprint in the people you meet everyday is much more important in life,” shares Alejo.

*****
Alejo S. San Buenaventura
Graduated with a degree in Computer Science

Magna Cum Laude at STI College Edsa-Crossing (now STI-Shaw) &
Awarded as: STI Student of the Year 2008