Meet our first Ako ang Susunod na Pinoy Inhinyero bursary recipients

By Ethel Clemente Fernandez

	Roy San Buenaventura (left) with Norman Garcia, Bursary Committee Coordinator	Robin Banaag (left) with Norman Garcia, Bursary Committee Coordinator

The Filipino Members Chapter – APEGM, which held several fundraisers to make the first Ako ang Susunod na Pinoy Inhinyero Bursary Award possible, is pleased to announce its first two recipients.

Roy San Buenaventura

Roy just recently immigrated to Winnipeg in October 2014. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Philippines and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Scotland.

His first 10 years of engineering experience were gained in the Philippines from working as a Project Engineer for MB Villar Group and for the next eight years, he worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He plans to complete the APEGM’s academic qualification requirements in two to three years through a combination of taking technical examinations and taking courses in lieu of an examination at the University of Manitoba.

His long-term goals include, a masters degree in civil engineering, managing his own business or landing a job with a multi-national engineering firm. He would like to give back by accepting a part-time professorial job and continuing to be an active member of the FMC-APEGM.

Robin Allan Banaag

Robin moved to Canada in 2012, which was the same year he completed his Civil Engineering degree in the Philippines. While completing his degree, he received on-the-job training for two years as a Junior Engineer/Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Technician for Trans-Asia. He managed to land a full-time job here in the same capacity.

He is in the process of completing the APEGM’s academic qualification requirements by taking all of the assigned five technical exams. He plans on completing all of them by May 2015.

He is inclined to gain expertise in structural engineering, but is also open to any civil engineering sub-disciplines.

His appreciation and support to the chapter is evident in his active participation in the chapter’s events. He believes that helping each other and everyone around us is key to building a greater community.

Roy and Robin – two deserving student members of the chapter who fully captured the essence of the award as demonstrated by their well-defined goals, hard work and dedication to the profession, chapter and community.

Ethel Clemente Fernandez is a registered member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba (APEGM). She currently works for a federal crown corporation and is serving on the Executive Committee of the Filipino Members Chapter (FMC) - APEGM. For inquiries, please e-mail fmc_apegm@yahoo.ca.