UPAAT offers Mentoring Program to Filipino-Canadian university students

UPAAT offers Mentoring Program to Filipino-Canadian university students

Mentors and students from different universities in the GTA.

Joel Licuanan, keynote speaker

The UP Alumni Association of Toronto (UPAAT), in collaboration with the Filipino Students Association of Toronto (FSAT), held a Networking Night at the University of Toronto’s William Doo Auditorium on November 27, 2023. Some 40 students from different universities around the Greater Toronto Area were matched with 10 mentors from the fields of social work, education, finance, engineering, marketing, information technology and medicine.

The event comprised two 20-minute speed mentoring sessions where each mentor was assigned 4 students. These provided an opportunity for both parties to exchange ideas on skills development, goal-setting and career-planning. The event also featured keynote speaker Joel Licuanan, a stroke survivor who is currently a Community Manager at Royal Bank Canada, Licuanan shared how he had to overcome economic and physical barriers throughout his life to get to where he is now. He emphasized the  more importance of battling one’s fears and learning from failures. “More often than not, you can find success on the other side of fear. Once fear is addressed, confidence follows,” Licuanan said.

Agnes Lopez-Manasan, UPAAT President

Networking Night has been held twice a year since it began in 2018.  According to Agnes Manasan, UPAAT President, “engaging in partnership with other organizations is part of our mission to promote the well-being not only of our members, but also of the Filipino community.”

The UPAAT regularly conducts activities that support the professional development of its members and their families as well as other Filipinos in the community. Anyone looking for information on the organization’s other programs may visit their website at https://www.upaatoronto.com/

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