All profiles  |  Previous  |  Next France and Fondeur/University Photography

Froilan Malit at the turfgrass field research lab.

Lindsay France/University Photography

Major: Industrial and labor relations (field of interests: government, international development and international migration)
College: ILR School
Hometown: Pampanga, Philippines

Being a first-generation immigrant, I had to be consistently resourceful and resilient to pursue my academic and personal goals. In the Philippines, I worked as a flower picker each morning, earning less than $2 daily with my grandmother and siblings. Five years ago, I came to California with my siblings, where I struggled to speak in English; I enrolled myself in the local community college to improve my speaking and communicative skills.

As a transfer student, I chose Cornell because it is a strong leader in industrial and labor relations. It has extraordinary resources and a reputation that is recognized internationally. I wanted to study within a small program, like ILR, but within an academically strong community.

In 2008 I founded Global Youth Concept, a Cornell student organization as well as an international NGO, that seeks to address the most pressing problems in the rural regions of the Philippines: malnutrition and educational gaps. This organization is very important to me because it opens doors for rural youths to attend school while simultaneously learning innovative ways in combating global poverty via educational programs. I am currently using personal funds and donations to improve the local operations in the Philippines.

Working with Professor Rebecca Givan on my senior honors thesis, "The Brain Drain in the Philippine Nursing Sector: Impacts on the Rural Communities." This research project, which enabled me to win the ILR International Travel Grant, eventually improved my understanding of international migration, government and national policymaking. For my thesis, I traveled to Asia and Latin America to identify policy strategies to combat the continued out-migration of highly skilled nurses from the developing world.

My other important extracurricular activities - Microchange, Progressive Youth International, Business Club, Filipino-American Club, Phi Theta Kappa-Canada College, Cornell Filipino Association - helped me expand my understanding of global politics, culture, international development, foreign cuisine and leadership skills.

Spending my spring break in Granada, Nicaragua, I conducted fieldwork for my thesis and worked as an assistant English teacher in a small rural region. I also traveled to Costa Rica to interview highly educated nurses and university professors for my final project. These experiences helped me understand global issues and human migration from the eyes of migrant/professional workers.

I received a tremendous amount of financial support mainly from Cornell's Financial Aid Initiative. Other university funding, such as from the ILR School and the Southeast Asia Program, also played a critical role in my internships and research abroad. Without the financial support of these programs, I would not be able to finish and enrich my Cornell education. Thanks, Cornell!

Talking each night with librarians and tutors in Olin and Uris, partying every Friday (I love Reggaeton) at friends' houses, drinking lattes with no foam in Libe Café, dancing in the middle of the night in Risley, hanging out with my friends in Collegetown.

Next year, I plan to work for the Philippine government's Department of Foreign Affairs and improve the local operations of Global Youth Concept in the Philippines. I will also finish my master's degree in public administration at Cornell Institute for Public Affairs, which I started in 2009. If given the opportunity, I see myself as an ambassador, a lawyer, a philanthropist and a public servant down the road.