By Dave Louie M. Blas
For the first time ever, Far Eastern University (FEU) Junior Marketing Association (JMA) brought MarkProf Campus Roadshow 2026 to the green-and-gold campus to provide Tamaraws with career and leadership insights at the Arts Building Rooms 407 and 409 last September 23.
The roadshow is a career development tour that introduces students to MarkProf Foundation Inc.’s long-running marketing and leadership program, along with its professional opportunities.
In an interview with FEU Advocate, FEU JMA Vice President for Logistics and event head proponent Raymundo Benedicto Benito mentioned that while the University has produced several MarkProf alumni over the years, interest in the program among the Tamaraw community remains low.
“We already have a few alumni, pero right now kasi ‘yung count nila is only less than 10. Therefore, ‘yung goal talaga namin here is to expose us Tamaraws and pati ‘yung mga umattend na external partners natin to MarkProf itself, to encourage din us Tamaraws to further enter opportunities outside our universities,” he stated.
Through hosting the event, Benito hopes to connect more FEU students to MarkProf opportunities that will help them excel in marketing and leadership.
“Hopefully, with this talk, mas na-encourage ‘yung FEU Tamaraws to further apply pa sa MarkProf Foundation and sa MarkProf bootcamp to have our very own FEU alumni be part of nationwide competition, nationwide bootcamps to really make a mark for FEU as a whole,” he shared.
Meanwhile, fourth-year business administration student attendee Maria Princess Sahree Guiyab underscored the importance of developing skills through endeavors beyond the classroom to prosper as future professionals.
“Given na sinabi na rin ng speakers natin kanina na parang hindi naman tayo kasama sa top four [universities], pero knowing na meron tayong alumni na willing mag-bridge ng gano’ng opportunities between undergraduates and to actual corporate environment, I feel happy na may gano’n tayong opportunity dito sa school (Given that the speakers said we are not among the top four universities, knowing that we have alumni who are willing to bridge opportunities between undergraduates and actual corporate environment, I feel happy that we have that opportunity here in school),” she expressed in a separate interview.
Following the success of FEU’s first MarkProf event, Guiyab also looks forward to workshops that could test students’ analytical and problem-solving skills.
“Kasi parang pansin ko is, siyempre, as much as like may natatanggap tayong professional talks na ganito ‘yung i-develop nating skills, mahalaga rin sa akin na ma-immerse tayo, mabigyan tayo ng maraming opportunities to explore our skills and also to strengthen it (Because what I noticed is, of course, even though we have professional talks like this that develop our skills, it is still important that we immerse and be given many opportunities to explore our skills and strengthen it),” she noted.
Building professional identity
Four FEU MarkProf alumni shared their personal experiences in the MarkProf Bootcamp, highlighting how the program shaped their professional careers.
In his presentation, FEU marketing graduate Janvier Bastian encouraged participants to embrace and utilize their individuality to build a professional identity that sets them apart.
As a former student leader, he also shared how the ‘makabayan’ spirit helped him pursue his goal of serving the country through projects he leads at a food delivery company.
“I lead some of our key programs. So how do we empower more women by onboarding them on the platform, [as well as] people with disabilities and empowering micro, small, medium enterprises,” he mentioned.
On the other hand, FEU international studies alumni Isaac Bagalawis urged Tamaraws to view failures and rejections as stepping stones toward professional success.
“Failure has to be a practice as well. Put yourself out there and know for a fact that you’re going to fail. But I promise you, when you do fail, and you fail over and again, and then you fail just one more time, and then maybe you fail two more times, one success is going to change your life,” he advised.
FEU accountancy alumni Jalyn Huang also encouraged students to find their purpose to help them stay grounded despite setbacks amid pursuing their professional careers.
“When things get tough, and rejection keeps coming, I can’t get into internships and everything. You have to understand why you're doing something, reach out to people, get feedback, reiterate, show up when opportunities come [and] take it,” she said.
MarkProf Bootcamp is a free eight-day training program that selects 25 promising college students nationwide to develop their marketing and leadership skills under industry professionals’ mentorship.
The bootcamp is currently accepting applications for MarkProf Batch 23 until October 4.
(Photo by Rian Balagtas/FEU Advocate)