Michael Angelo B. Promentilla

“Boys, be ambitious…..for knowledge, for righteousness and for the uplift of your people”– this brings back some good old memories and the first thing that came to my mind when I was asked to become an HU Partner. Indeed, it is both an honor and a responsibility. Being a Filipino alumnus of Hokudai, it is my duty to be an ambassador and promote the university’s ethos in my community and in the global arena.

I did my graduate studies at HU under the English Graduate Program on Socio-Environmental Engineering (EGPSEE), which I chose because of its prominent graduate program located in a captivating campus, and featuring a vibrant internationalization outlook. For more than half a decade, HU provided me a nurturing environment to hone not only my technical skills but also some “soft” skills while living in Sapporo. These skills have been vital in my work as an academic at De La Salle University Philippines and a research leader in the field of socio-environmental engineering.

As an HU Partner, I will continue to strengthen the partnership with the university through active networking with HU professors and research staff, as well as with the HU alumni through collaborative research projects. We are also strengthening the alumni network based in the Philippines to promote HU to aspiring students who would like to pursue graduate studies in Japan.

Finally, to our HU community, let’s aspire and continue to be the agent of change for the betterment of humanity. With such global outlook, let us then be ambitious to connect, to collaborate, and to create knowledge and innovative solutions to uplift our local community. Be ambitious!