MAKATI, PHILIPPINES — The University debuted the highly anticipated Cardinal Tech Fest last April 27, drawing Grade 10 and 12 students from various schools primarily from Luzon. They converge to exhibit and compete in innovation, technology, and gaming. The day-long event is divided into four segments: the Bridge Design Challenge, Game Development Competition, Mobile Legends Tournament, and Career Day.
Bridge Design Challenge
18 registered teams in the Bridge Design Challenge kick off by measuring a toy car's dimensions to guide their bridge construction. Their goal, crafting a structure that is both robust and innovative. With 70% of the score riding on strength, and the remainder on creativity and uniqueness, every minute counts in the 2 hours and 45 minutes allotted. It was a race against time to engineer the sturdiest bridge possible.
The challenge concludes with the announcements of the winners; Team Ingenium secures the title of 2nd runner-up, while Team Nolasco First claims the 1st runner-up position. Emerging victorious as the champions are The Sison'd Ones.
Game Development Competition
Ten teams in game development made it through the qualifying round to finally compete in the Cardinal Tech Fest. The competition began in the cutting-edge gaming development laboratory as each team presented their developed game to the judges, showcasing their finest projects crafted by the participants' creativity, imagination, and problem solving skills.
"A very fun experience."
A fun experience indeed, which is the essence of the competition — to inspire innovation among the participating students, the Mapúan way. Three teams were declared as winners: Team Leap of Faith (Champion), Team Shattered Series (1st runner-up), and The Chemistrix (2nd runner-up).
Mobile Legends Tournament
From 56 qualified teams, the field was narrowed down to eight finalists who vied for the Mobile Legends Tournament championship, the highlight of the Tech Fest. Both the semi-finals and grand finals lasted a full day, spanning precisely 10 hours of intense gameplay. Emcees Aaron and Ajax provided lively commentary throughout the event.
Around 8 p.m., the tournament concluded with Team Jabo emerging as the grand winner after securing victory with a 3-1 score versus Team Can't Say Wisp. Team Jabo receives a well-earned cash prize of 25,000 pesos.
Career Day
The Cardinal Tech Fest also hosted a Career Day seminar at the Cardinal Cinema, inviting two industry-leading experts to share their knowledge and expertise with incoming freshmen students. The seminar aimed to provide potential career paths and outcomes, leveraging the insights of these experts from the energy engineering and financial technology sectors.
Energy Engineering
Engr. Eric A. Reymundo brought his expertise and engaging presence to the seminar, offering his vision into the future of renewable and sustainable energy practices in the Philippines. With a commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, he highlighted the expected rise in demand for skilled professionals like Energy Practitioners and Engineers as the nation pushes towards decarbonization and carbon neutrality in the energy sector.
He outlined potential career paths, including roles such as Certified Energy Managers and Certified Energy Conservation Officers, whose contributions will be essential in ensuring sustainable and clean energy in the country. Critical aspects, which are comprehensive energy audits and a circular economy principle, were highlighted as one of the important components of responsible consumption and resource conservation.
"Saving the planet is actually a career."
Fintech
Ms. Emerlyn Lance, an ECE graduate of Mapúa, NTC Licensing Admin, and NOC Engineer at GCash, engaged the audience with her insights. She traced the remarkable journey of GCash, from its humble beginnings as an SMS-based remittance project in 2005 to becoming the Philippines' first eWallet and eventually one of the country's biggest fintech apps, offering a diverse range of financial products and services, including loans, investments, insurance, and donations.
Ms. Lance's personal career story shed light on the vast potential within the fintech industry, while her expertise illuminated the innovative spirit driving GCash's continuous growth. Highlighting Mapúa University's cutting-edge BS Fintech program, she emphasized the application of new technological advancements in designing and delivering financial services. She also outlined sophisticated career opportunities awaiting aspiring fintech professionals, such as cybersecurity analysts, app designers, risk managers, and quantitative analysts.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking."
Altogether, the event offered valuable guidance to help freshmen make enlightened decisions about their future trajectories and equip them with a better understanding of the opportunities that await them in the rapidly evolving job market.
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