Completing My Master in Innovation and Business at AIM
Exactly Where I Needed to Be
A Pause Worth Remembering
On December 7, 2025, I graduated with a Master in Innovation and Business from the Asian Institute of Management at Gallio Events Hall in Aseana City, Parañaque. After 18 months of late nights, long Saturdays, and constantly shifting priorities, the moment felt less like a finish line and more like a pause. It was finally time to slow down and reflect.
For a year and a half, classes meant three hours every Wednesday and Friday night, right after work. Saturdays were not half-days or catch-up sessions. They were full days dedicated to school, often starting early and ending late. Like many in my cohort, this meant giving up personal time, weekends, and moments with family. These were hours taken from rest, from celebrations, and from everyday life. It was a shared sacrifice, and one we all felt deeply.
Why I Kept Going
Before the cases, deadlines, and presentations, this journey was always about family.
I was only able to finish this Master’s degree because I never lost sight of why I was doing it and who I was doing it for. For Anj, my wife, whose patience, understanding, and quiet strength gave me the space to keep going even when energy was low and time was tight. For Marcus, my son, who may not fully understand this milestone yet, but who became my daily reminder of purpose. Every late night and long Saturday carried more meaning knowing it was also about building a better future for him.
This journey is also a gift for my parents. A way of honoring the sacrifices they made long before I ever stepped into AIM. Their belief in education and perseverance laid the foundation for everything I am able to pursue today.
When Life Interrupted Everything
Midway through my journey at AIM, life tested us in ways no syllabus could prepare us for.
In late July 2024, Super Typhoon Carina (Typhoon Gaemi) hit Metro Manila. Our previous home in Mandaluyong was flooded, with water reaching waist-deep inside the house. In a matter of hours, priorities shifted from classes and deadlines to safety, cleanup, and simply getting through the day.
What I will never forget is how my cohort showed up. They extended help without hesitation, sending groceries, cleaning materials, and even financial assistance. The very next day, Bea and Austen came to our doorstep to personally deliver these. Not long after, a close friend, Vince, reached out and invited me to help in his business, giving me a way to get back on my feet and cover daily expenses while we recovered.
In that moment, AIM stopped being just a school. It became a community.
Expectation Versus Reality
When I started the Master in Innovation and Business at AIM, I honestly did not expect it to be this demanding. The hybrid setup looked manageable on paper. At the time, I was working from home and believed I could fit everything neatly into my routine. That assumption did not last long.
Eventually, work shifted back to full onsite in BGC, Taguig. Days grew longer, energy more limited, and rest harder to come by. Balancing a full-time job, graduate studies, and family life was no longer about balance. It became about endurance and choosing to show up, even when it was exhausting.
Academically, the program stretched me more than I anticipated. The courses, spanning innovation, strategy, economics, data visualization, futures thinking, and leadership, were intentionally rigorous. There were many moments when understanding did not come easily. I tried my best to engage, ask questions, and stay curious even when things felt unclear. Over time, I learned that growth does not require perfection, only persistence.
Learning Teams and Mentors That Carried Us
Learning Teams became one of the strongest pillars of the program. Each term, we relied on one another to discuss lessons, challenge ideas, prepare presentations, and meet deadlines. Those long sessions, often tiring but always meaningful, reminded me that innovation is rarely a solo pursuit.
The professors at the AIM made the journey even richer. They were engaging, generous with their time, and deeply invested in our growth. More than teaching frameworks, they pushed us to think critically, question assumptions, and look forward toward problems worth solving.
Looking back, the Master in Innovation and Business gave me more than a graduate degree. It strengthened my discipline, sharpened the way I think, and gave me greater clarity in navigating complexity. Not certainty, but readiness.
Exactly Where I Needed to Be
Graduation was not an ending for me. It was a checkpoint. A reminder that the hardest seasons are often the most formative, and that the milestones worth reaching are rarely just for ourselves. I may not have started this journey knowing exactly where it would lead, but I finished it grounded in purpose, strengthened by community, supported by family, and exactly where I needed to be.
