Alumna from JA Philippines Networks at Harvard, Visits HQ

October 21, 2015

JA alumna Paula De La Cruz poses with JA Worldwide Senior Director Carolyn Bassett.

Paula De La Cruz, an alumna from JA Philippines, paid us a visit while in Massachusetts to attend the annual Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business Intercollegiate Business Convention (IBC). The weekend event brings together 1,200 high-achieving women from 100 universities on six continents for the opportunity to build a support network, interact with potential mentors, and hear inspirational speakers. 

Paula recently took the top prize (also with teammates Keith Elgin E. Caasi and Rio E. Abrenica) at the University of the Philippines Junior Finance Association (UPJFA) Venture 2015 at the Asian Institute of Management, a competition for young entrepreneurs. In addition to winning PhP $50,000, the team will go on to compete in the Entrepreneurs' Organization Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (EO GSEA) next May. Their business plan, called Project Mushroom, promotes local agribusiness by using locally produced mushrooms in food seasoning and canton noodles.

It was a pleasure hosting Paula during her visit to Boston and Cambridge. She told us that, before JA, she was an average student, unsure of what she wanted to do. Since getting involved in JA she's excited about being a social entrepreneur and is solely on launching her start-up to help farmers in the Philippines. She's also a fourth-year Marketing Management student in the College of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of Sto Tomas Philippines.