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On 23 March 2025, a workshop will be organised for the Filipino community aiming to share possible career pathways for Filipino youth in Italy.
Participants are encouraged to participate as a family to ensure that the youth and their parents are on the same page towards their goals. To participate, registration is required.
Registration and participation in the event is free of charge but only a limited number of participants will be accepted. However the participants are expected to remain in contact with the mentors after the event and to take next steps based on what they have learned.
The workshop will feature successful Filipino professionals, self-employed and entrepreneurs from various fields who studied or started out in Italy. They will share their insights into their profession, the benefits, the negatives as well as personal experiences on how they reached where they are now.
The career orientation workshop hopes not only to inspire Filipino youth to pursue their passions and further education, but it also aims to create a support system for them even after the workshop. After the event, the participants and mentors stay in touch and the mentors guide the participants into pursuing their future paths.
Aside from showcasing the opportunities available within the professional world, the workshop will also touch upon how families can plan in advance to support their children financially through higher education (either through academic or vocational paths) and beyond!
This project is organised by the Knights of Rizal – Firenze Chapter as part of its Ilustrado Initiative which aims to encourage Filipino youth in Tuscany to pursue higher education. The initiative aims to increase upward social mobility among Filipino families and create a new generation of “ilustrados” that contribute both to Philippine and Italian society.
Who should attend
- Filipino youth who would like to understand the different career opportunities for them for the future.
- Filipino parents or guardians who would like to understand how to support their children through higher education.
- Representatives of Filipino organisations that would like to spread the word and support the advocacy of encouraging Filipino youth to pursue higher education.
How to participate
Requirements
- Can attend the workshop in person
- Committed to maintain contact with the mentors and reach out to them for any inquiry towards their path
- Confirmed registration.
REGISTER NOW VIA THE FB EVENT PAGE or by writing to us via Whatsapp in our banner.
The event is organised by the Knights of Rizal – Firenze Chapter as part of its Ilustrado Initiative.
Agenda
09:30 Registration & Networking Coffee
10:00 Welcome:
- Official Message
H.E. Sir Nathaniel Imperial, KGOR
Philippine Ambassador to the Italian Republic - Organiser’s Welcome
Sir Rob Carrillo, KCR, MBA,
KOR-Firenze Chapter Commander
10:05 Planning for Supporting the Youth Through Higher Education
- Alexandra Ganzon,
Adjunct Teaching Faculty Member,
Ateneo School of Government – Ateneo Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program - Jacopo Vanzini,
Senior Partner, Wealth Advisor
Allianz
10:30 Youth Career Orientation Session
- Introductions from 5 industry representatives (30 mins total, 5 mins each)
- Moderated Q&A with speakers as panellists (40 mins)
- Q&A with the audience (45 mins)
- Wrap up (5 mins)
12:20 Networking Lunch
Speakers
Lou Marvin Caraig
ICT, Entrepreneurship
Founder of IT startups HeyEcho (heyecho.xyz), HaveYouHeard (haveyouheard.io), and NextCommit (nextcommit.careers), Lou grew up in Florence and graduated B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Florence with honours. In his career, he held several software engineering roles eventually rising to take on positions such as Head of Engineering for Athenian and Director of Engineering at The Linux Foundation.
Rob Carrillo
Consulting, Marketing, Public Sector
Based in Pisa, Rob holds an International Master of Business Administration from the University of Pisa and holds a number of managerial and board roles in various high-tech, multi-million euro European Commission initiatives in his current role as a Senior Project Manager at Trust-IT Services. In 2023, he received the Outstanding Leadership Award during the Dubai Marketing 2.0 Conference and was made a Knight of Rizal in 2012. Prior to this, Rob was an accredited journalist and editor in Bahrain.
Chaira Enguio
Medicine, nursing
Chaira has been living in Pisa since 2012 where she graduated from the University of Pisa in Nursing. She previously worked at the Ospedale Cisanello, the principal hospital of Pisa and one of the most important in Italy. She is currently gainfully employed as a nurse at the Ospedale di Pontedera.
Alexandra Ganzon
Professional Development and Personal Growth
Alexandra is a seasoned communication coach, empowering emerging and established leaders to communicate with clarity and confidence in diverse settings. Coming from a small town in the Philippines, she grew to become successful Italy-based professional with over a decade of experience in the fashion industry, working for iconic brands like Burberry, Cerruti, and GUESS. Aside from per professional coaching, she is also part of the academic faculty of the Scuole Superiore Per Mediatori Linguistici. Outside of her work, she volunteers with a global NGO called ALSE, to support Filipino migrants in leadership, financial literacy, and social entrepreneurship.
Billy Rejuso
Engineering, Academia
Billy holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Bologna and is currently employed as a Traffic Engineer with nearly 10 years of experience in traffic engineering projects and some urban public transport development. He has consulted for diverse clients including the Asian Development Bank, government agencies in the Philippines and private developers. Before becoming an engineering consultant at Technital SpA in Verona, Billy worked as a researcher at the University of Bologna, the world’s oldest operational university.
Zack Recaña
Medicine
Zack grew up in Bologna and graduated from the University of Bologna. He currently works as a heart surgeon in Helsinki, Finland and currently leads his team at his hospital. He is also a Knight of Rizal.
Jacopo Vanzini
Wealth Advisor
Jacopo Vanzini is a Senior Partner at Allianz, the world’s largest insurance company and the largest financial services company in Europe, where he specialises in banking & finance, entrepreneurship consulting, corporate finance,
private equity and debt, succession planning and wealth management. Among his major career roles include a consultancy role in PriceWaterhouseCooper, Associate Director of UBS. He holds a masters degree from the Business School of Copenhagen and supports the Knights of Rizal – Firenze Chapter in its financial literacy advocacy for the Filipino community.
REGISTER NOW VIA THE FACEBOOK EVENT
or by writing to us via Whatsapp in our banner.
