Six young Filipino entrepreneurs are set to compete at the 2022 Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA) FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge.
This was announced by FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world's largest express transportation companies in partnership with the Junior Achievement Philippines (JA Philippines).
The students who will represent the country in the regional finals were the winners of the 2022 FedEx / JA International Trade Challenge (ITC) Philippines finals.
The six students to compete at the AMEA FedEx / JA ITC are Sean Darren U. Seva and Jan Rae A. Sabalboro from Legazpi City Science High School; Denmark Gil C. Leopardas and Jakecob M. Jacob also from Legazpi City Science High School and Lourdes Corpuz and Jan Endrina from the University of San Jose - Recolectos.
The Philippine representatives are expected to collaborate and compete with students from nine other Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa markets (AMEA) including Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
FedEx noted that frontrunners will be randomly grouped into teams comprising participants from different markets to promote cross-cultural learning.
This, the company added, will foster collaborative thinking and encourages participants to bring diverse local knowledge and experiences to the regional finals.
“Nurturing entrepreneurs is hugely meaningful to everyone at FedEx through this collaboration with Junior Achievement we are proud to have created a platform for the Philippines students to challenge themselves and build solutions to positively impact our community,” said FedEx Express Philippines Acting Managing Director Ranny Chua.
Chua explained that every year, “we witness the talent and brilliance of our youth, who are eager to succeed and make their mark in the global economy” through the competition.
During the local Philippine competition, 10 FedEx team members volunteered their time to mentor the students during the workshops held in June.
The mentors guided the students on the importance of teamwork, risk-taking, and the intricacies of exporting to Cambodia, which was the market identified as part of this year’s challenge.
The volunteers also shortlisted the national entries and identified the Top 10 finalists to present their market entry strategy plans to a panel of judges led by Chua at a virtual competition held on July 29.
With two consecutive wins at the regional finals by the Philippines students, this year’s breakout sessions were also attended by, five alumni Aljo Benedicto, Raine Santiago Nakpil, Giezhia Diaz (2020 finals), and Princess Cecile Gurrea, and Mac Angeli Salve Ylaya (2021 finals), who shared their learnings and experience. Since its inception in 2009, over 6,000 students between the age group of 15 and 16 years from schools across the Philippines have participated in the workshops and 72 students have represented the country in the regional finals.