JACQUELINE MARIE NICOLE “KINNEY” M. PALMA
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, 2005
AFTER COLLEGE
I became channel editor at the company where I had my on-the-job training. I designed the workflow for websites. I knew that I was not going to stay long; I yearned for something more. I think this is one of the traits that I got from my UA&P education: the passion for learning more.
After that, I moved to then-Hewlett Packard (HP). Going into the interview, I was very nervous because I doubted my technical skills. I told the interviewer that I was not a programmer and that I had difficulty learning the subject. So I was surprised when they hired me.
AT PRESENT
I am still with HP (now DXC Technology) and have been with the company for 12 years. I have taken on many roles already—from support consultant to program manager. I am currently a client delivery lead. Each role always leads me back to the things that I have picked up in school.
The communication skills I acquired in UA&P helped me work well with the different teams that I have been in or have led. Our class on project management taught me how attentive we have to be to the details. I learned that doing well doesn’t necessarily stem from having amazing technical skills but from being persevering. And I know now that if there’s one thing that would uphold a person, it would be the ethics and values that he or she holds dear.
ON UA&P
I took up IT because at the time it was “in.” After two years in CAS, things changed—we grew. We discovered what we wanted, and many chose other courses.
I still chose IT, however. Why? I loved computers. But little did I know that IT = programming. And programming is a whole different story. During my third year (1st year of IT), I wanted to shift out of my course. I couldn’t fathom programming. I was passing, but it was not something I enjoyed. But my professors persuaded me to stay, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
To my professors, classmates, and everyone who has ever been a part of my UA&P life, thank you. You have equipped me to face the corporate world. Who would have known that giving extemporaneous speeches was actually training me to participate in conference calls? Who would have known that all of those readings were teaching me to be persevering? And even if I knew that all of those theology, ethics, and philosophy classes were teaching me great things, it is only now that I have truly realized that they will help me in my decision making in life.
Thank you, UA&P, for all of the years that you’ve sowed in us. Now we’re starting to reap all the fruits. I hope you never grow tired of planting great things in the hearts and minds of each student. I’m proud to be a Dragon. #
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