On September 4, the UA&P Office of Alumni Affairs (OAA) conducted the University’s first-ever virtual fireside chat with alumnus Eric Francia (ABHPE, 1993), President and CEO of AC Energy.
Francia, who was the commencement speaker for the 26th Graduation Rites held in August, continued his conversation with the fresh graduates as well as the graduating students who are currently in their 4th and 5th year.
The talk, hosted by Nikka Pangan (ABIMC, 2021) and co-hosted by OAA Manager Carlee Estanislao (ABHPCCOM, 2004), started off with the top 10 ‘burning’ questions from the batch.
Francia relived his story as a young highschooler looking for a place to start his entrepreneurship track, but the search did not go smoothly. With a stroke of luck, however, he ended up transferring to CRC, where he noted that he was able to change for the better.
“For one, the liberal arts foundation was really there for me to take advantage of and start honing my capabilities, my skills, and start unlocking that potential,” Francia explained. “But I think it was the small school concept—the mentorship and the low student-teacher ratio—which was a fantastic opportunity for me to get the guidance [I needed]. Doc Mar (Dr. Mariano) was my mentor and was largely responsible for fixing this fledgling student, this struggling student in me, way back when.”
UA&P Professor Dr. Jose Maria Mariano, who was present in the affair, gave the audience some advice regarding mentoring in UA&P.
“First, in my experience as mentor, I’ve learned that the hardest mentees are often those with the most potential that is waiting to come out. Second, that there is also an art of being a good mentee. It’s not just mentoring on the side of the mentor; just as you’ve probably honed certain arts of studentry, there is also a side on the mentee that has to be developed so that the mentee can absorb the good mentoring and become a better person. Last thing: I do hope as you move forward in your life that you can still come across and discover mentors, and that you can practice your side of the art of mentoring and become the best you were meant to be.”
Francia was the first University Student Government president. He eventually joined the first Corporate Planning unit of CRC with the aim of building it into a university.
“It’s so good to have a vision, but I can almost guarantee that only some of you will have a straight path to achieving that vision. I didn’t, certainly. In a way, you also have to go where the wind blows…. I look at what I’m doing—it’s something very impactful—it’s something that may not be aligned with my big picture vision of becoming a business owner back then, but hey, how many times do you have an opportunity to build a university? So try to see the silver lining in your respective jobs because I’m pretty sure there is.”
Even after working in UA&P, he continued to pay it forward by developing a scholarship program for UA&P students.
“I’m encouraging a lot of my fellow alumni to not only contribute your treasure; it’s not always about the donations. That is an important component, yes, but now as fellow alumni, I highly encourage everyone to also be generous on your time and talent, and I think mentorship is a great way to pay it forward and give back to the University.”
Francia highlighted the importance of getting experience abroad, as the exposure gives one a global mindset and can help one unlock his or her potential. However, he shared how he received 30 rejections from different companies even after getting a degree from Cambridge University.
“The key lesson here is creating your own opportunities and taking risks no matter how dire the consequences would have been. You have to create opportunities for yourself…. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of asking the right questions, getting in touch with the right people, etc.”
“This chart is not a straight line,” said Francia. “But as long as you keep that vision alive, as long as you keep that passion burning alive in everything that you do, and as long as you create all of these opportunities—be bold in taking risks, in creating your own luck… and executing no matter what happens—you will make it to your destination.”
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