Angelite Sophia Rose Suarez from the School of Business and Accountancy (SBA) earned a spot among the Top 28 delegates of the American Chamber Business Leadership Program (AmCham-BLP) held from June 14 to 20, securing the top prize in the program’s Business Pitch Competition.
Suarez, a fifth-year Accountancy student, was selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide to represent HAU in the AmCham-BLP, while fellow fifth-year Accountancy student Malthine Valiente served as a mentor in the program.
AmCham-BLP is a youth leadership and business immersion initiative of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines that aims to develop future business leaders through industry exposure, mentorship, and leadership training.
Following her first-place finish, Suarez reflected on her experience after being selected as one of the program’s delegates.
“The moment I received the email, wala naman masyadong pumasok sa isip ko. Like, I’m very grateful to be chosen as part of the best of the best student leaders across the country,” Suarez said.
She shared that the significance of the achievement only became apparent once she began participating in the onsite program and interacting with fellow delegates, mentors, facilitators, and industry experts.
“But the moment only sank in when I was already in the program itself, on the on-site program. So I met my fellow delegates, mentors, facilitators, and other industry experts,” she stated.
Suarez also admitted that she initially questioned whether she truly belonged among the country’s top student leaders.
“So I think to describe that moment, it was both a humbling experience. At the same time, it was also full of new learning opportunities for me because parang before accepting it, before going to the on-site program itself, I had doubts if I really belonged to the Top 30 delegates across the country, you know, the best of the best in the Philippines,” Suarez said.
The experience, she added, left her with valuable lessons about growth, accountability, and embracing uncertainty.
“After AmCham, I learned that it’s okay to not have all the answers for your questions right now. It’s okay to doubt yourself, it’s okay to feel pressured, but what matters most is that you are willing to seek answers for your question, you are willing to learn and take accountability,” she said.
Suarez further highlighted one of the key insights she gained from the program.
“You know one of our speakers emphasized that the future belongs to the curious, and I think that’s what matters more than when I received the email or opportunity to represent HAU.”
The program was conducted through both online and onsite modalities. Online sessions were held from June 8 to 11, while onsite activities took place from June 14 to 20 at the AmCham office in Makati City.
As part of the immersion program, delegates visited several multinational companies, including Chevron, Capital One, 3M, Citi, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) , and J.P. Morgan Chase. They also attended learning sessions facilitated by representatives from AmCham, SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV), Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), and Quezon Power.
AmCham-BLP initially released a list of Top 30 delegates on May 18, which was then updated to Top 28 on June 25.
