This episode is a conversation with Ryan Antonio, a computer engineer and an aspiring educator. Ryan and I spent almost two hours talking about our dreams and aspirations, how he got into engineering, how he started to love teaching and research and what wanted to be when we grow up.

If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords) for the intro music.

This post was originally published on September 26, 2021.

This episode is a conversation with Richard Dean Morales, an Erasmus Mundus Scholar studying Masters of Science in Smart Cities and Communities. In this episode, Dean talks about his graduate school application process and provided his tips on how to succeed with your masters program application.  

In this episode, we discuss

• Dean’s backgroundWhat he studied for underggrad, what he did after that and what he was doing until before being awarded the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship
  
• Erasmus Mundus ScholarshipMotivation for applying to the scholarship
  The Application process
  How to get started
  Perks and benefits
  Application Requirements
  What he wrote for his motivation letter
  Essential contents of a motivation letter
  Asking for letters of recommendation
  
• Graduate school applicationsSchools he applied to
  Application Timeline (Chevening, University of Tokyo, Erasmus Mundus)
  Deciding which graduate school offer letter to take
  
• His career trajectory from industry to academiaWhy it took him six years post-bachelor’s before applying to a masters program
  Why UP after corporate work
  
• Three pieces of advice for aspiring Erasmus Mundus Scholars

If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords) for the intro music.

This post was originally published on August 19, 2021.

This episode is a conversation with Almira Muro (computer engineering), Iya Verocel (electronics engineering), and Michael Ngo (electrical engineering). Almira, Iya, and Mango are all undergraduate students at the University of the Philippines Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UP EEEI). Mira, Iya, and Mango talk about their life inside EEE - from motivations, first impressions, struggles, and accomplishments as they navigate their degree program.

In this episode, we discuss

• Why Engineering?
  
  • Why they studied engineering, motivations for going to UP and pursuing STEM, expectations and realities
    
    • Mira
      
  • Iya
    
  • Mango: Why engineering and why electrical engineering
    
  • Why Mira studied Computer Engineering (edit audio)
    
  • Why Isa studied Electronics Engineering
    
• Inside EEE: first impressions and experiences
  
  • In person visit, stories from EEEI
    
  • Introduction to programming: EEE 111, EEE 113, etc
    
  • Adjusting to college math courses
    
  • How they made friends in EEEI and their tips
    
  • Students organizations in the institute
    
• Inside EEE: studying electrical, electronics, or computer engineering
  
  • What they are studying at EEEI and the courses they've taken
    
  • ECE, CoE, EE specific concepts
    
  • Exams
    
  • Memorable courses they had
    
  • How they study habits changed as they transition from face to face to remote learning
    
  • Their remote learning strategies, study tips!
    
• Wrap Up
  
  • Why study Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering?
    

Mentioned in this episode:

• UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute
  
• UP Circuit
  
• UP Engineering Radio Guild 
  
• UP IECEP
  
• IIEE
  
• IEEE UPD
  
• Timeblocking
  
• Pomodoro
  

If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords) for the intro music.

This post was originally published on August 1, 2021.

"The process of surgical innovations, it's a very long process. It's not like a one-year project that you can bring an idea to become a product."

- Philip Fullante, MD

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Philip Fullante. Dr. Philip is an Otorhinolaryngologist (ENT specialist) and Clinical Associate Professor at the UP Manila College of Medicine. In 2016, he underwent surgical innovations fellowship training at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He's also a program administrator of the planned Surgical Innovation and Biotechnology Laboratory (SIBOL) program of the UP Manila College of Medicine and the Department of Science and Technology.

In this episode, we discuss

• Undergraduate story and motivations for going to medical school
• Experiences in clinical practice and choosing specializations
• Surgical Innovations Fellowship
  How he landed the opportunity
  Experiences during the fellowship
  Key Takeaways
• Projects involvements in biomedical innovations
• UP-SIBOL Program
• Wrap Up
  Advice for medical students who want to get into innovations in healthcare?
  Advice for engineers who want to work with clinicians and health professionals
  What’s next for biomedical innovations?
  

If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords)  for the intro music.

This post was originally published on April 20, 2021.

"You realize, actually, na the whole thing is a partnership. It's not about you, it's about the patient. Parang you're partners para sa health nila.. And even as engineers, di ba, we realize that it's a partnership between the engineers and the end users. We get so obsessed with Iron Man and Marvel na yung engineers 'yung bida but at the end of the day it's the the ordinary people, and we're using engineering and medicine to make life better.

- Engr. Miguel Aljibe, MD

This episode is a conversation with Miguel Aljibe. Migs obtained his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BS ME) at UP Diliman. He then studied Medicine at UP Manila. Migs is now working at the intersection of engineering and medicine as part of the UP SIBOL program.

In this episode, we discuss

• Engineering School
  Why he studied engineering
  Interests in undergraduate as a mechanical engineering student
  Finding clinical problems with engineering solutions
  Deciding he wanted to pursue medicine
  
• Medical School
  Application Process
  Challenges and advantages of going to medical school with engineering background
  Adjustments from engineering to medicine
  Key Takeaways
  
• Wrap Up
  What's next for Migs
  His three pieces of advice for students who want to pursue a similar career trajectory and study medicine after engineering
  

If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords)  for the intro music.

This post was originally published on March 12, 2021.

“Learn how to have fun sometimes. Not just in studying. You also need to learn to take a break and have fun sometimes. Find a group of friends that have that balance also.”

- Charleston Ambatali

This episode is a conversation with Charleston Ambatali. Charleston is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UP EEEI). He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering (BS ECE) and MS in Electrical Engineering from the same university. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

Engineering

• Why he studied engineering, his motivations, expectations and realities
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI)
• What is EEEI and its subfields
• What do people study when they get into Electronics Engineering (ECE)
• What projects are available for students and professionals in the field?
  

Life at EEEI

• Initiatives, projects Charleston got involved in
• Opportunities he had along the way
• Approaches on how to navigate the laboratory application process at EEEI, and points to consider
• Why he chose Wireless Communications Engineering Laboratory (WCEL)
• Remote Teaching in a Pandemic
  

Wrap Up

• What's next for Charleston
• His three pieces of advice for students who want to succeed (or survive)  EEE or would like to get into the field

“You know how to save a patient, but you don't know how to save an ailing health system.”

- Joey Hernandez, MD

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Joey Hernandez. Joey obtained his BS in Biology at Ateneo De Manila University before pursuing a medical degree at the UP College of Medicine Class of 2015. He is currently a Masters of Public Health Candidate at Johns Hopkins University as a Fullbright Scholar.

In this episode, we discuss

• His undergraduate and medical school story
• How he got interested in pursuing medicine and realizing he wanted to become a doctor
• His key takeaways from his Doctors to the Barrio (DTTB) experience
• How he got interested in Public Health
• The journey leading to getting into the Master of Public Health Program at Johns Hopkins University
  Applying for scholarships
  His Fulbright Application
  Getting into Hopkins
  Preparing for the big move
  
• His advice for Filipinos who are considering a similar track and would like to pursue medicine and public health

Connect with Dr. Joey Hernandez on Twitter.

If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords)  for the intro music.

This post was originally published on February 7, 2021.

"It's not about getting to the finish line in the fastest way possible. But you have to get to the finish line." - Digs Ardoña

In this episode, we discuss

• The different components of the PhD application process
• Putting together a great application
• Making the most out of their undergraduate experience if they are looking to apply for graduate school
• Her three pieces of advice for aspiring Filipinos in STEM who want to do more research or get into the field of chemical and biomedical engineering

Resources for people in STEM:

• GradMAP Philippines
• PinoyScientists

Learn more about Digs through her website.

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If you like this episode, please subscribe to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com. My website is http://roxdeleon.com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords) for the intro music.

“I think that’s what’s nice about academic institutions is because there’s a lot of people coming from different backgrounds, and you are brought by one mission - to do science. No matter where you are from, it’s the science that brings you together.” - Herdeline (Digs) Ardoña

This episode is a conversation with Herdeline (Digs) Ardoña. Digs obtained her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UP Diliman in 2016 before obtaining her Ph.D. in Chemisty at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. She has then stayed in the US to pursue her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. She is now an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California Irvine.

In this episode, we discuss

• Her background, how it's like studying in the Philippines
• What motivated her to go to graduate school right out of undergrad
• Her PhD Application Timeline and realizing she wanted to apply
• Choosing between an MD/PhD, PhD or an MD program for further studies
• Why she decided to go to the US and school selections and other considerations
• Getting into Johns Hopkins for PhD
• Navigating academia as an international student in the US

Learn more about Herdeline (Digs) through:

• Her website
• PinoyScientists featured article

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If you like this episode, please subscribe to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords) for the intro music.

This episode is a conversation with Carmela Padilla. Carmela obtained her Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering from UP Diliman in 2016 before pursuing a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. She has stayed in the US after graduating as a Filipina international student. She is now working in an American multinational corporation as an electronics and control engineer.

In this episode, we discuss

• In this episode, we discuss Carmela's motivations for going to graduate school
• Why she chose to apply to universities in the Midwest
• Her graduate school application process
• GRE, TOEFL and other application materials
• From the Philippines to the Midwest: Preparing for the big move
• Her US education experience, experiences, and reality
• Her key takeaways from her experiences
• What Carmela is doing now
• What is an F-1 Visa versus an OPT and H1B, and how she transitioned to working from studying as an international student
• Advice for Filipinos who want to study in the US as an international student

Blog post at https://roxdeleon.com/2020/12/28/ep-8-carmela-padilla-on-pursuing-ms-electrical-engineering-in-the-us--purdue/

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords)  for the intro music.

In this episode, we chat about why Paul studied engineering, how he got to study at UC Berkeley for his masters, and the perspectives and new skills he brought back to the Philippines afterwards.

Lessons from UC Berkeley

“Getting exposed to the startup scene at Silicon Valley, and learning about the technologies and the possibilities and telling myself that I can make this happen, we Filipinos can make this happen too. That’s why we’re doing it right now.”

"People that change the world are humans, still. They're just humans that are more imaginative, humans that are motivated, humans that see the bigger picture, humans that have vision, the tenacity, and the resolve to attack a problem and offer a solution.”

In this episode, we discuss

• In this episode, we discussWhy Paul studied engineering
• Decision process in high school
• Why Materials Science and Engineering
• His expectations getting into college and the undergraduate experience
• Maximizing resources in the university as an undergrad, how he made the most out of his undergrad experience, and thinking about what to do after undergrad
• Realizing he wanted to apply for graduate school
• Why he chose to apply to Berkeley
• Graduate school application process
• From the Philippines to California: Preparing for the big move
• His UC Berkeley Experience
• GRE, TOEFL and what they mean in one’s application
• Takeaways
• What Paul is doing now
• Wrapping up

You can connect with Paul on LinkedIn

If you like this episode, please subscribe to A Curious Character Podcast on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #ACCPodcast. If you liked this episode or would like to suggest a future topic, let me know by sending me a quick message on Twitter, @ roxsalt or send me an email at roxsalt (dot) acc (at) gmail (dot) com.

I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about pursuing a career in STEM every month!

Thanks to Seth Sanchez (@ primeblissrecords) for the intro music.

There are moments when we feel like what we’re doing now is not aligned to where we want to be, but later we realize that our goals evolve as time goes by. Quoting Steve Jobs, “you cannot connect the dots moving forward. You can only connect them looking back.” 

In this episode of A Curious Character, Ethel and I talk about her journey and experiences as an electrical engineering undergrad at UP Diliman, her motivations for going to graduate school, and opportunities as she transitions to industry. 

1:15 - Ethel’s Background

2:25 - Why Electrical Engineering

5:32 - Expectation vs Reality of getting into UP

7:25 - How she got through the challenges of EEE*

11:20 - Study Habits

14:25 - To Shift or not to shift out of EEE

15:50 - Deciding what to do after undergrad

18:55 - Graduate School Transition

25:34 - Pandemic Job Hunting

32:00 - Visa 476 in Australia

33:40 - Pandemic low points

36:01 - Career Opportunities for EEE students

43:15 - How to find opportunities as an undergrad

*EEE stands for Electrical and Electronics Engineering. This is an institute at UP Diliman College of Engineering.

This episode is a conversation with Ryan De Belen - a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia. Ryan and I went down the memory lane and chat about his journey from being an ECE student in UP Diliman to doing a Ph.D. researching how machine learning can be used in Autism research. 

In this episode we talk about: 

01:17 - What is Ry currently working on? 

2:28 - How he started from ECE in undergrad to working on projects in the biomedical field

4:49 - Why he chose to join Digital Signal Processing as undergrad lab in UP

8:26 - First job out of undergrad - working for a startup

12:24 - Going back to UP as a researcher

14:39 - The story behind getting his visa to Australia and first year

20:19 - Masters Research!

25:19 - Road to PhD 

30:19 - Advice to aspiring Ph.D. students in Australian universities

34:00 - PhD student life

40:27 - Collaborations and research

47:10 - Ry Reflects on his growth as an engineer and researcher

49:00 - Ending notes!

50:00 - (more general) Advice to aspiring PhD students and engineering undergrads

Liz is currently a graduate student and Psychology instructor at the University of the Philippines Diliman. In this episode, Liz and I chatted about her journey to academic life, work habits, and decision-making process when transitioning from one work to another and many others!. We also talked about fulfillment and sense of purpose when choosing a career.