More than 120 Filipinos Join EducationUSA’s Second Annual Media Summit

More than 120 Filipino students and working professionals participated in the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ second annual EducationUSA Media Summit on May 14.

The virtual event featured speakers from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) and University of Southern California (USC), and covered college application strategies and communication and media program options offered by top-tier U.S. universities online and in-person.

“I am so glad to be able to continue to engage with you, and work with you, and help you all hopefully realize your dream of one day pursuing your academic goals at your dream university in the United States,” U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer Matthew Keener told participants at the beginning of the summit.

Keener added, “The U.S. Embassy is committed to enhancing educational ties between the United States and the Philippines.  It is one of our top priorities, and we’re here and ready to help you work towards that goal, even during quarantine.”

NYFA Broadcast Journalism School Chairman Bill Einreinhofer, who is also an Emmy-award winning journalist, talked about the increasingly important role of digital communications and how NYFA graduates have been behind some of the most powerful stories driving media coverage during this pandemic.

Meanwhile, USC International Admissions Officer Alex Alvendia-Wienkers discussed how USC programs prepare students for academic and professional development opportunities.

EducationUSA ambassador Juju Baluyot, a local media practitioner and incoming scholar at Columbia University, also gave an inspiring testimonial about his experience and how EducationUSA’s free advising services helped him realize his dream: “After eight years of dreaming about studying at Columbia University, I finally got accepted,” he said. “Honestly, if I look back, I believe my application wouldn’t be the same without the help and advice that I got from my [EducationUSA] adviser.”

EducationUSA is the U.S. government’s official source of information on U.S. higher education.  It provides free advising services to prospective international students in more than 170 countries, and offers student resources and tools to navigate the Five Steps to U.S. Study: researching schools, identifying financing, completing the application, obtaining a student visa, and preparing for departure.

There are more than 4,500 accredited higher education institutions in the United States, and an EducationUSA adviser can help students define their priorities in order to narrow their options and plan their college careers.  EducationUSA does not offer scholarships, but can assist students in identifying scholarship and financial assistance opportunities.

You can find more information about EducationUSA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/educationusa.philippines, on Instagram at @educationusa.philippines, and on Twitter at @EducationUSA_PH.