Julito Mandac is the current Dean of J.H. Cerilles State College' School of Business and Management, and was part of the pioneering ACE Scholars of Jollibee Group Foundation at the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU). Having experienced challenges in life, he made it his goal to pay it forward to JGF and WMSU.
"After graduation, I didn't know where I should apply, but there were so many offers then. And I think it's my destiny to work in the academe. One of my goals right now is to share the learnings and knowledge that I gained from JGF and WMSU with other people," said Mandac.
It was in 2008 when Mandac qualified for JGF's two-year assistance program. The scholarship program assists qualified high school graduates to enroll at WMSU's Hotel and Restaurant Management department.
"As the demand for employees with skills and expertise in Customer Service and Management for Hotels, Airlines, and Cruise ships continue to rise, the ACE Scholarship Program saw it fit to enroll qualfied students in the WMSU's College of Home Economics," said Lee Patrick Brown, Faculty member at WMSU. "To accommodate these students and to further specify the different skills and proficiency needs for this industry, the WMSU ultimately decided to introduce a new and more focused program."
WMSU officially opened its Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management in June 2008, with JGF providing scholarships for 36 students.
ACE Scholarship Program not only covers tuition, it also provides hands-on learning with OJT at Jollibee store in Southway Mall, Zamboanga City.
Mandac did crew duty before he was given the responsibility of supervising the counter.
"Jollibee gave us the idea that working in the food industry requires hard-working and focused team members. You always need to have a positive mindset because we are dealing with customers, and we're on the front lines. To this day, all the lessons and skills we have hones during our store experience are embedded in our day-to-day activities."
He joined J.H. Cerilles State College after graduation, and was appointed as Chair of the Hospitality Management Program and other roles in the academe such as International Affairs, before being promoted to a dean.
"All of my learnings from the scholarship are embedded in my class discussions. I still use my experiences as an example, especially if we're talking about operations and delivery of services. I make sure to share about them not only for our students but also for the future generation who will be taking on the improvement and development of the industry."
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