Inspiring breadwinners, career shifters, and working students among pioneer graduates of Mapúa Malayan Digital College

Mapúa Malayan Digital College (MMDC) celebrates an important milestone as an educational institution as it marks the graduation of its pioneering cohort of students, and 55% percent of the group are working students, a sector that MMDC has been advocating since its founding in 2022.

Among the inspiring working students who completed their education at MMDC is Kathleen Joyce de Ramos, who earned her BSBA Operations Management degree after putting her college dream on hold for five years due to her family’s financial struggles. As a breadwinner, she persevered to build a stable career even without a college degree yet for the sake of her siblings. She worked her way up from being a trainer in a manufacturing company to being a client service representative.

“I believe that having a diploma would give me a competitive advantage when pursuing new career opportunities,” shares de Ramos. “When I was ready to return to school, I looked for a fully online alternative that would allow me to continue working while pursuing my dream of getting a degree. That search eventually led me to MMDC. I enrolled in 2023, and throughout my journey, I was able to continue studying without sacrificing my job, which is important for me and my family.”

De Ramos explains that MMDC’s online and flexible setup empowered her to juggle her full-time job and studies. This means that she didn’t have to worry about missing classes or workdays because of schedule conflicts since she could choose her specific class timings and they were never required to go to a physical classroom.

It was also this unique setup that encouraged licensed dentist Anthony Quitay to pursue a second degree. When the pandemic disrupted his dental practice, he worked as an artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning data annotator to get by. Working with engineers that merge AI and healthcare sparked his curiosity for tech further, so he enrolled in MMDC’s BSIT Data Analytics specialization, while keeping a full-time job with the government.

He was able to get a taste of the tech industry when he joined GCash as a machine learning research engineer/researcher intern. His experience in machine learning also allowed him to work on an MMDC thesis project focused on the early detection of newborn defects.

“MMDC’s student-focused learning setup enabled me to pursue another interest, upskill, and explore a second profession, without giving up my passion for dentistry,” reveals Quitay. “The experience showed me how different IT is from dentistry, but I also realized that some skills can be carried over—particularly communicating with people, collaborating with teams, and talking to stakeholders. I’m excited to see what’s next for me and discover all other opportunities for me in the tech industry, and explore how I can merge dentistry and IT in the future.”

De Ramos and Quitay joined new graduates from Mapúa Malayan Digital College during a ceremony held at the Philippine International Convention Center last August 20, 2026. The inaugural graduating batch is mostly students who specialize in Marketing Management under Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) and Software Development under Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT).

MMDC also proudly announces that among all Abanse Negrense scholars of the Class of 2026, 22 earned Latin Honors. The scholarship is made possible through a special partnership with the Negros Occidental Provincial Government, which is helping the online college ensure quality higher education can be more accessible to Filipinos.

As a fully online college that supports modern Filipino students, MMDC employs a curriculum that focuses on improving the career readiness and employability of fresh graduates, especially in the in-demand and rewarding business and tech sectors. Its unique Problems, Projects, and Cases (PPC) learning approach aims to develop the students’ resilience and independence, as well as their ability to apply their learning to real-world situations.

Helping working Filipinos step up in their careers, the Mapúan premier digital-first college, conducted a survey among its first batch of graduates in August, gathering responses from 113 of them. The survey showed that prior to the graduation ceremony, 28 percent of respondents already received a salary increase and 21 percent were promoted while being a student at MMDC. Meanwhile,  19 percent started a business or pursued self-employment ventures during their undergraduate journey.

“From the beginning, our hope is to develop graduates who are academically prepared as well as adaptable, digitally capable, and ready to contribute meaningfully to the workplace. We want our students to become confident problem-solvers, effective collaborators, and lifelong learners who can navigate the demands of a rapidly changing professional environment,” says Jenny Chua, Vice President at MMDC.

MMDC goes further through the Career Development Office and Services, where students can also receive guidance in career planning, résumé and portfolio development, interview preparation, professional branding, job-search strategies, and workplace readiness. They are also given access to career conversations, industry talks, employer engagement activities, internship opportunities, and job openings shared by MMDC’s network of business and tech industry partners. In fact, some of MMDC’s pioneer graduates have been offered employment or have been absorbed by their company during internship.

“We have seen firsthand how modern education can help create breakthroughs for Filipinos. Seeing members of our first graduating batch pursue employment, professional growth, and further development affirms that the foundations we hoped to build are taking shape. We are confident that our new graduates will embody strength of character and a commitment for excellence wherever their careers may take them as they continue to step up for the future,” notes Chua.

Learn more about Mapúa Malayan Digital College’s progressive learning model and its college and certification programs at mmdc.mcl.edu.ph. For updates, follow MMDC’s official social media accounts @mapuamalayandigital on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.