(L to R) Renante Burgos Jr., Mharjon Abante and Roy Molod Jr. with their Philippines and Asia Pacific trophies. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
STI made another historic mark after three of its students won the second prize in the 2021-2022 Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals.
After top performances in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific (APAC) heats, Mharjon Abante, Roy Molod Jr. and Renante Burgos Jr. once again made their presence felt after taking second place in the Network Track of the world competition held in June. 17 and 18 2022.
Under the guidance of Beronika Peña, Head of STI IT Courseware Development, the trio became the first Filipinos to achieve such a remarkable feat since the competition began in 2015.
At the national round held in September 2021, they got a taste of their first win after emerging ahead of other local schools in the Network Track. The win gave the trio tickets to the regional tour where they continued to show off their prowess, finishing third among 21 APAC contestants on the same track six months later.
This time, after eight grueling hours of setting up IP addresses and firewalls, the STI students were able to finish the competition on a high note, taking second place in the international round.
“This competition has given us more than we expected. Throughout the duration of the competition, we have been gathering tips and ideas on how to do things professionally. This is one of the biggest accomplishments that I have accumulated throughout my college life,” said Abante, who is a 4th-year Computer Engineering (BSCpE) student at STI College Ortigas-Cainta.
Hailing from different STI campuses, the trio met virtually for the first time after being handpicked by Peña to represent both the school and the country. Although distant at first, they soon shared a bond after getting to know each other through online meetings.
“It was awkward at first, but our connection and collaboration came naturally. We may have worked in silence, but we all had the same goal in sight, and that’s winning,” said Molod, who is also a BSCpE graduate. from STI College Santa Rosa.
Apart from the honor and glory they received, the three tech experts mostly noted the experience that the competition embodied in them that they will carry for the rest of their lives, pointing out the hurdle they have had to cross during local and regional rounds.
With the awkward distances of their homes from each other, the three had established a virtual remote setup instead of meeting together for said tours.
“Because of our setup, communication was the main hurdle we faced. We couldn’t check if we were still in sync, and we couldn’t compare our setups,” said Burgos, a BS Computer Science (BSCS ) senior of STI College Vigan.
Abante, who is the main setter for the APAC round, also mentioned the pressure they felt after having the opportunity to be the first Filipinos to compete on the global stage of the contest. Proper preparation, as he pointed out, saved them from a poor performance; and that’s what they did.
In their efforts to finish with flying colors, they finally had the chance to work alongside each other heading into the final round; and it was an opportunity they did not waste at all.
With the second prize won, they are now focusing on preparing for graduation. For them, winning such precious accolades was a colorful sendoff they will never forget.
In keeping with STI’s overriding goal of preparing future generations for a rapidly changing and competitive world, exhibits like this prove nothing less than the institution’s partnerships with other competitive companies such as Huawei are beneficial to students in their chosen fields of endeavor. The group’s accomplishments are just one of the best opportunities such successful affiliations can offer students.
The coaching experience was fulfilling for me mainly because I saw them almost reach their dream career. Whenever we partner with top industries, we integrate their content. We can say that our content is effective once we can see the achievements of our students. Thanks to our partnership with Huawei, we have been able to prove that our students are competent, competitive and ready to work,” said Pe, who also won the award for excellent A-level instructor among the instructors of Huawei ICT Academy 2021. .
