He had always been an inquisitive student. He loved asking questions and had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He liked challenges — as early as the 1st Grade, he would emcee during school programs which nurtured his public speaking skills and helped him overcome his stage fright. He also actively participated in inter-school quiz bees and press conferences. All these cultivated his confidence and prepared him for an “atmosphere of pressure and high stakes” later in his professional life in the drone industry.
Meet this week’s STEFTI alumnus, IRWIN ANGELO AMAGO, Elementary Class Valedictorian Batch 2014.
Life after STEFTI
After graduating from STEFTI, Irwin enrolled at the Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC). Here,His oral and written communications skills, which were first honed in STEFTI, flourished even more. He was involved in their school publication, The ScienceNet, which won best school paper at the National Schools Press Conference during his senior year. He was also president of their Debate Society and an officer in the student government. He went on to graduate Best in English and Best in Research, and received the Gerry Roxas Leadership Award.
Armed with these achievements, he enrolled at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) where he enjoyed a full scholarship. He finished BS Applied Physics and was given the Departmental Research Award for his thesis on satellite remote sensing. Clearly, Irwin was a guy who thrived and bloomed where he was planted!
Intel Science Fair (2008), High School Intel Science Fair (2008), High School
Off the beaten path
Post-college, he was all set to go to graduate school, but alas! The universe, he realized, had other plans.
I was employed by a US drone startup from 2014 – 2019 where I managed the geospatial data servicing arm. I had to lead quite an international group of analysts from countries like the US, Canada, and India! From there, I tried my hand on pure geospatial data science work in another startup for close to two years.
GEO Connect Asia Convention, Singapore Meeting end-users in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Meeting end-users in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Meeting government officials in Bangkok, Thailand Teambuilding even in Istria, Croatia
Even after his contract ended, he could not get away from the “exciting” nature of the drone space. He eventually found himself in his current role at a Swiss company that manufactures drones.
I am currently the Technical Customer Success Manager for the Asia-Pacific region for a Swiss drone manufacturer called Wingtra. (Editor’s note: Wingtra makes drones akin to a high-tech flying robot that can take off and land like a helicopter, but flies like an airplane, allowing it to collect data from large areas such as agricultural land or construction sites.)
Global company event in Zurich, Switzerland Global company event in Zurich, Switzerland
I handle all our users in this part of the world, from all the way up in Japan and South Korea down to Australia and New Zealand. I have always enjoyed being at the interface of people and technology. My current job fits this perfectly as I am able to build relationships with individuals from around the world while helping them navigate a relatively nascent but fast-evolving industry.
Role of STEFTI in His Life
What role (if any) did STEFTI play in his successes, we asked. Irwin was all praises for his teachers:
One thing that I’ve always appreciated about my STEFTI experience is how my teachers constantly sought to cultivate my confidence. I never felt like my abilities were ever second-guessed or held back. They provided me with opportunities to grow my strengths as well as a safe space to make mistakes and find areas of further improvement.
I’ve been working for startups for all of my professional life. In such a fast-paced environment, one has to be constantly on his toes. He also isn’t shielded by the bureaucracy of a large organization. A manager doesn’t have the luxury of command responsibility when he makes mistakes because teams are small and the organizational structure is often flat. This means that the decisions he makes have a direct impact on the company’s bottomline.
Buwan ng Wika Talumpati Competition (2003) Children’s Choir with the late Ma’am Perl Abesamis
Where others would find it easy to shy away from the difficult, Irwin chooses to embrace the challenge. He adds, “Working for companies that are at the cutting edge requires a level of audacity—the confidence to take smart risks and seek creative solutions.”
Fortunately, I was able to cultivate a semblance of this confidence early on. This has made me comfortable with such an atmosphere of pressure and high stakes. I am grateful that I was given the chance to find my voice in my formative years and I have my wonderful teachers to thank for that.
Irwin is not only grateful for his teachers, but also for the school’s patron saint whose values he wishes to emulate:
Out of everything, I constantly go back to St Therese’s lesson on The Little Way.
It is so easy to get swept away by lofty dreams and ambitions. It is much harder to understand that the road towards the realization of grand plans requires taking hundreds of unglamorous small steps.
This nugget of wisdom has helped him to take on the mundane, says Irwin, especially on days when he’s on autopilot mode.
I seek out this wisdom every time I feel lost and aimless, tired from the daily slog of the nine-to-five. St. Therese, in her short but blessed life, has taught me that there is a profundity in doing the seemingly mundane when you imbue each act with the utmost love.
The small is in the service of the grand. By putting your head down and finding pride and dignity in the everyday, you find yourself closer to the larger goals you long and aspire for.
Grade 6 Retreat and Recollection Emceeing school programs, STEFTI
He also has this to say about the institution that honed him:
STEFTI education is both grounding and enriching.
It grounds us to a belief much larger than ourselves, introducing a faith that demands action—a call to do little acts filled with love to glorify God and to inspire others to do the same.
Irwin also believes STEFTI enriches its students to do far more than what they think they can accomplish, and that the students are lucky to have a scholastic education that can help drive them towards the achievement of their goals.
Does he have any advice for the young theresians who might want to follow in the path he’s chosen, whether in his personal and professional life?
Irwin doesn’t hold back:
It is so easy to self-congratulate, but always remember that it takes a village to raise a child. Sure, take pride in your successes, but do remember to take a step back and take stock of the bigger picture. Your triumphs are built upon all the love and support you’ve garnered through the years.
…Take much of the support your family and friends can provide you and make them proud of you in the future.
IRWIN ANGELO AMAGO, Elementary Class Valedictorian Batch 2014.
Regular physics lab session Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas Research Congress Asia-Oceania Geosciences Society Research Congress Council of Organization of the Ateneo Executive Board,
2011-2012Samahang Mag-Aaral ng Pisika ng Pilipinas Energy
Summit, DLSU
