Born from JG Summit’s commitment to social responsibility, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) was set up in 1992 to help uplift the socio-economic condition of Filipinos through the funding of educational projects.
The first of these was the Technical Training Center for skilled graduates in various engineering engineering fields. A significant endowment endowment by the foundation to the Ateneo de Manila University then led to the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM), a regional powerhouse in the field of management education. It has also aggressively donated facilities and scholarships, and supported educational programs to help train our next generation of business and government leaders in schools such as Immaculate Concepcion Concepcion Academy, Xavier School, De La Salle University, the University of Asia and the Pacific and the University of San Carlos. The foundation even donated donated its prime lot in Ortigas for the EDSA Shrine. In 2007, GBF granted 34 young Filipinos, the first batch of GBF China Scholars, Scholars, with full year-long scholarship to the prestigious Beijing Language and Culture University, in Beijing China. These scholars study Mandarin and Chinese culture in the hopes of strengthening the Philippines’ global competitiveness by application of knowledge in their home country. Through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s continuing commitment to education, JG Summit intends to fulfill its responsibility to the country – and lead Filipinos to an even better life ahead.
PROJECTS
Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Technical Training Center The GBF Technical Training Center (GBF TTC) is a P100 million facility in Rosario, Pasig City, a “finishing school for graduates” in various technical and engineering fields.
The center offers the following: Technical Courses: GBF offers scholarship programs for engineering graduates, graduates, with focus on technology Continuing Technical Professional Education: Education: GBF offers programs for JG Summit incumbents, with focus on upgrading technical knowledge and skills Retail & Service Academy: started in 2003, courses that address the needs of the retail and service businesses
Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Scholarship for Excellence Dedicated to empowering the Filipino youth, The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) launches the Scholarship for Excellence program that grants 50 scholarships to the brightest and most deserving young leaders.
This program demands a high level of excellence, accepting only applicants who belong to the top 10 percent of their high school batch. Moreover, GBF aims to provide opportunities to less privileged students thus offering the program to graduates of public high schools who will pursue any of the following engineering courses: Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, and Electronics & Communications. GBF partnered with top Engineering schools namely: University of the Philippines - Diliman, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Technological University of the Philippines in NCR; Batangas State University; Bulacan State University; University of San Carlos and Cebu Technological University in Cebu; University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos in Bacolod; University of San Agustin in Iloilo; and University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao. Each qualified scholar will be awarded a lump sum amount per academic year, from their first year up to the fifth year, provided that they maintain their academic standing of being part of the top 10 percent of their batch, semester after semester. GBF recognizes Engineering as one of the best courses for tomorrow’s world , as well as one of the most valuable professions in JG Summit Holdings. A testament to this would be the foundation’s Technical Training Center in Pasig City. Aside from the Engineering Scholarship program, GBF is also offering another 40 scholarships to the dependents of JG Summit employees for any college degree in their chosen college or university.
JG-ILED The John Gokongwei Institute for Leadership and Enterprise Development (JG-ILED) was developed in 2005 to: (1) further strengthen the commitment to continued learning, organizational growth and career development; (2) enable leaders to develop strategies for competitiveness of the company; and (3) help in the development of JG Summit employees. Currently, JG-ILED is in the process of developing different training programs that will cut across the different employees of the conglomerate. These programs will be geared towards building business success, developing leadership and strengthening functional capabilities. As JG-ILED is being evolved, it is positioned to become the platform for systematic and sustained development programs that maximize internal resources across JG Summit and create a one leadership brand among its employees. The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Learning & Development Center is an educational institution and traning facility owned and operated by the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation. We help empower the Filipino minds Born from JG Summit’s commitment to social responsibility, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation was set up in 1992 to help uplift the socio-economic condition of the Filipinos through the funding of educational projects.
The first of these was the P100 million Technical Training Center (now known as Learning & Development Center) in Rosario, Pasig, for skilled graduates in various engineering fields. A significant endowment by the foundaion to the Ateneo de Manila University then led to the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM), a regional powerhouse in the field of management education. GBF has also aggressively
donated facilities and scholarships, and supported educational programs to train our next generation of business and government leaders in schools such as Immaculate Concepcion Academy, Xavier School, De La Salle University, the University of Asia and the Pacific and the University of San Carlos. The foundation even donated its prime lot in Ortigas for the EDSA Shrine. In 2007, GBF granted 34 young Filipinos, the first batch of GBF China Scholars, with full year-long scholarships to the prestigious Beijing Language and Culture University, in Beijing, China. These scholars study Chinese culture, management strategies, economy and politics, in the hopes of strengthening the Philippines’ global competitiveness by application of knowledge in their home country. The center covers three (3) hectares within the Litton Mills Compound in Rosario, Pasig City. It is strategically located to benefit from the neighboring URC food plant, the Litton integrated mills and the Westpoint power plant, all of the JG Summit Group. The center proper building overs an area of 1,800 square meters plus a 50-bed dormitory and hostel. Classrooms, auditorium, conference rooms, science labs and workshops are furnished and equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation reflecting the objectives of the institution. JG Summit Leadership believes in giving back to society a portion of the honest profits derived from its business. While it does not subscribe to giving alms and mendicancy, it believes in helping people help themselves. Hence the strong thrust of the GBF towards education. Through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s continuing commitment to education, JG Summit intends to fulfill its responsibility to the country and lead Filipinos to an even better life ahead.
Sample Scholarship Interview Questions General questions & plans for the future
How did you become interested in your major? What influenced your choice of this major? How did you become interested in your focus area? Have you traveled abroad before? If so, where? What have you learned in your travels? What have you learned about yourself as you've been a student at BYU? What do you hope to accomplish while at graduate school? What are your educational/academic goals? What are your future career plans? How do you plan to use your studies to achieve your future career plans?
What would you do if you didn't receive the fellowship? What do you envision yourself doing in 10 years? What will you do with your degree in the long run? Why will this scholarship help you in your career goals?
Hooks from application--Know your application & review your essays
You wrote in your application that you read poetry. What kind of poetry do you read? Who's your favorite poet? You said you like reading classics. What is one classical novel you recently read and di d not like? I see your transcript includes ______ (a low grade, an odd course, etc.). Tell me about this. I see in your application that you're fluent in ______. Translate this statement and tell me who said it. How would you be a good _______ as a ______ Scholar? What can you tell me about the person this scholarship is named for?
Questions about recommendations and choice of recommenders
Your high school principal wrote one of your recommendations. I'm always suspicious of applicants who need to go all the way back to high school to find someone who can say something good about them. What do you say to that? Your adviser wrote that you did significant research on Dean Acheson and three Ambassadors to Yugoslavia. After doing this research, do you think people make history? And if so, discuss if history would have been different if Stevenson had defeated Eisenhower in 1956, Nixon had defeated Kennedy in 1960, and Dukakis had defeated Bush in 1988. One of your advisers has written a lot about health care policy. Do you agree with his ideas, and if so, in one sentence, how should these ideas be implemented? One of your letter writes uses B.C.E. and C.E. Please define B.C., A.D., B.C.E., and C.E. Which do you prefer and why?
Research/Topics in your field--Be prepared to talk about your work and that of others
I saw in your application that you intend to ______. Can you give us some examples, outside of your own research, of some successful studies in this field? Can you explain exactly what techniques or methods your propose to use in your research?
What do you think will be the big thing happening in your field in the next ten years? Tell me about your honors thesis topic and describe the research methods you propose to use in your research. Is there anyone you would specifically like to work with?
Current events or hot political topics--Read a good newspaper; listen to opinion discussion shows.
Do you think everyone in America deserves healthcare? How should we provide healthcare to the poor? How specifically can we encourage private industry to participate? I recently read about ______. What can you tell me about this? What do you think is the big thing happening in ______ in the next ten years? Do you think that a financially powerful nation could effectively alter the cultural norms of another nation? What are your thoughts on US interventionism? You have one minute to tell the Prime Minister of India how to end religious violence. What do you say? What should the U.S. do about the War on Terrorism? Do you believe in state sponsored assassinations, and if not, what about in the case of Hitler? Welfare reform seems like a good thing. Lots of poor people are working now, when they weren't before. What do you think? Name what you think are the top five diplomatic achievements in the past decade. What is the biggest change you would make in government to improve its ethics? If a patient with late stage Alzheimer's had written a document requesting that his life no longer be supported, what would you do? Follow up: What level of abuse in the system would be enough to stop euthanasia: 10 in 100 or 5 in 100? Explain the importance of basic science (or some other topic) as if you were talking to a group of lawmakers. What can you tell me about globalization (or AIDS, unilateralism/multilateralism, U.S. foreign policy, etc.)? If there is an attack on the embassy where you're serving, what would be your plan of action? The ambassador asks you to write a cable about human rights in country X. How would you go about completing this task?
Questions about a student's choice of university and degree choice
What graduate schools/programs have you been accepted into?
Why do you want to do postgraduate study now, as opposed to in two or three years? Is there anyone that you are specifically looking forward to working with? You say you want to study for a PhD in X, yet your university does not have department of X. How are you qualified for this? You say you want to study for a PhD in X, yet the majority of your preparation is in Y. How are you qualified?
Questions about church, missions, BYU---Welcome these questions calmly, responsively, and non-defensively. Such an answer can broaden into other perspectives.
What did you learn on your mission? How can you justify "soul snatching?" Isn't it presumptuous to intrude on other cultures? Is it possible to have academic freedom at a religiously affiliated university? Why do so many athletes get kicked out of BYU for honor code violations? _______ at BYU recently received attention in the news. What can you tell me about this? What is your stance on ______?
Questions about your personality or how you spend your time
What do you do for fun when you're not studying, doing research, or performing community service? I see you've accomplished some amazing things in your short life. In what areas do you think you can improve? I see you've done a lot of community service. Which service project are you m ost proud of and why? I also assume you've been involved in some leadership experiences. Please describe your most meaningful leadership experience and explain why it was most meaningful. What kind of music do you listen to? What is a novel or book that you've read for pleasure recently and like, and why did you like it? How would you define life? And what is your position on abortion? W hat is more important--someone agreeing with you on these issues or someone figuring out their own stance on these issues? What is your "Top 5 " list for the following? Favorite novels, favorite non-fiction books, favorite movies, favorite contemporary political leaders, favorite historical political leaders. What would you do if you won a billion dollars in the lottery? You have a strong desire to give back to the world. Where does this desire come from? Your family, religion or somewhere else?
If someone was writing your obituary, what would you want it to say, and what work of literature would it quote? What is your philosophy on service that keeps you dedicated to it?
They may give you an opportunity to say whatever you want, so be ready.
Do you have anything else to add? Why should you be one of the 10 people to get this scholarship?
Question: Tell us about yourself. Answer: This open-ended question allows you to direct the conversation. Because it is so broad, your first instinct might be to answer broadly. Don’t. Plan out what you might want to say. Like a good essay, you can start with something general about yourself and then narrow to a specific anecdote or point. This is a good opportunity to highlight a set of skills you have.
Question: What is your greatest strength/weakness? Answer: This shows that you are a self-aware person. When talking about your strength, don’t be humble. Give examples so that it’s not just you talking yourself up. For the weakness, try to paint it as something about yourself that you are attempting to improve, or an obstacle you want to overcome. Again, give examples.
Question: Why do you deserve this scholarship?
Answer: This one’s a toughy. Be honest and open. You applied for this scholarship for a reason, and now you need to put it into words. (For a more involved answer, read our guide on what to say when you are asked why you deserve a scholarship.)
Question: What are your career goals? Answer: For this question, they are looking to see if you have a plan. What are you going to do after college? If you can showcase how this scholarship will get you closer to your career goals, that’s a good move.
Question: Who has been a role model for you? Answer: Make sure you consider this one beforehand. The people you admire says a lot about you, and you need to be able to explain that. Is it a famous person? Is it a family member? A teacher? It’s important to remember your role model’s character flaws as well, and how they are inspiring in spite of them (or maybe because of the way they’ve overcome them).
Question: Tell me about a mistake you made. Answer: Like naming a weakness about yourself, they’re looking for self-awareness of your flaws. No human is perfect. More importantly, they’ll want you to explain what you’ve learned from it. How have you grown as a person because of that experience?
Question: Why did you choose this school? Answer: As it’s highly unlikely you just picked a school at random, you should be able to answer this pretty easily. Was it because of
a certain program offered? Did a family member attend? Has this always been your dream school? Expound a little on your answers – they’re looking for someone with passion, who is going to commit to earning a degree at that institution.
Question: What activities are you involved in? Answer: Like with your college application, you’ll want to demonstrate that you do more with your time than study. This is a great opportunity to showcase your willingness to work with other people, show that you have a good work ethic at your job, and to talk about your involvement in groups. You shouldn’t list everything; you’ll want to talk about the groups you’ve contributed to. Be sure to mention the activities that are related to the scholarship, if any.
Question: Tell me about a personal achievement that makes you proud. Answer: If your proudest moment is that time you burped the entirety of the ABCs forward and backward, you might want to reevaluate. Talk about something you struggled with. Maybe it was when you got moved to a starting position for your team. Maybe it was first A on a paper that you worked hard on.
Question: Is there anything else you want to add? Answer: Take this question seriously. They are giving you the opportunity to talk about anything you feel wasn’t sufficiently covered by the other interview questions.
Common Scholarship Interview Questions: The following mentioned are few interview questions for scholarships.
1. Tell us a little something about your background: Applicants have to be honest and open about their family background. Do not conceal any important piece of information that you feel is necessary to tell. Given the fact that you are applying for a scholarship, such questions are surely going to be asked. So be willing to present a clear picture of how and where you live as well as how many people live in your family. Do not be ashamed of where you come from; be proud of the fact that you are trying your best in order to improve yourself.
2. About how much is your family income?: There is sure to be a question regarding your family income. So know exactly what the figure is and state it without feeling bad in any way. There is no reason to add or subtract any amount to it, just say it as it is. Make sure you are carrying all the relevant documents to support your statement as they will not be taking your words at face value. Ensure that you make no mistake when quoting the figure as it is based on this very figure that they will judge whether or not you are eligible for the scholarship. A mistake at this phase could cost you heavily.
3. Why do you want to pursue this particular subject?: Chances are that you will be asked by the interviewer, why do you want to pursue this very subject, knowing well that you cannot afford the course. He or she might go so far as to tell you some cheaper courses which you can opt for. However, it is important to note that this is merely a test. No matter what is told to you, you must not show that you are unsure about what you want. Let it be communicated to the examiners that, you will find a way to pursue this subject which you love so much.
4. Why do you think we should give you this opportunity?: Interviewers ask the person applying for scholarships a variety of questions. The students must be prepared for any question which comes their way. A popular question asked for scholarship applicants is, why do you think that we should give you this opportunity as opposed to all others who have also applied for it? Giving a proper answer to this question could really seal the deal for you, so ensure that you give a proper answer which is bound to leave a very lasting impression in the mind of the person who is interviewing you, so that he is convinced that you deserve the chance.
Sample Scholarship Interview Questions: 1. What co curricular activity are you interested in?: Chances are that the interviewers are going to inquire about what other things you are interested in, in addition to your studies. If you are someone who is good in co curricular activity as well then that certainly gives you an edge over everyone else. It shows that you are someone who is an all rounder and will truly be able to contribute to the institution in a positive manner. Things like being good in sports, debating skills, creative writing abilities and even an artistic bend of mind will really set you apart from the others who have applied for the same scholarship.
2. What is the biggest challenge you have over come?: In this day and age, without money hardly anything is possible. So if you have come from a financially weak background chances are that you have to face a considerable amount of hurdles while growing up. This is a very popular sample interview question which is asked to applicant. It is important that you figure out what you are going to say before simply blurting out an answer. So be sure to answer in a proper manner, what has been the biggest challenge which you have faced in your life. If you have faced the obstacle
without fear in your heart and eventually overcame it, that will assure you as someone with character.
3. Is there anything you would like to say?: This is another question which is often asked by the interviewer “Is there anything which you would like to share”. It is advisable that you use this time in a wise manner and give a good answer which will really be able to win over the interview. At no point in time should you act in a needy manner, but simply say that your financial condition is the only thing which is standing in the way of you achieving your dreams. A scholarship interview is not as hard as you might think it is, all you have to do is prepare on yourself thoroughly. It is only after you put in your sincere efforts will you be able to emerge from the interview with flying colors. Keep in mind all that you have learnt and no matter what, you must ensure that you are always acting in a respectable manner. Scholarships are granted only after an intensive screening purpose, it is for this reason that you have to show that you are someone who is truly deserving and would never waste the opportunity which has been granted to you on a golden platter.
