By Alain Arostique
More than 100 people came together for the P6 Beyond Potential Professional Summit on September 26, 2026, at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Vancouver Campus. They came to learn, connect, and consider their next professional steps. For me, that turnout made every hour of preparation worthwhile. Behind that number were more than 100 individual reasons for showing up.
P6 stands for Passion, Purpose, People, Progress, Possibility, and Pathways. We built the summit around something familiar to many Filipino Canadians: finding our place, rebuilding our careers, and putting our experience to meaningful use.
Our message was simple: made for us, by us.
Starting over involves licensing requirements, workplace expectations, and decisions made alongside family responsibilities. We wanted attendees to leave with a resource, clearer options, or a connection worth following up. Encouragement matters. So does knowing what to do on Monday morning.
The program brought together engineering, architecture, nursing, trades, construction, and project careers, with guidance specific to each pathway.
The questions were familiar: How does my experience fit here? What qualifications do I need? Where can I find support? Having professionals and community organizations in one room made those conversations possible.
Ma. Celeste Valderama presented MWO Programs and Services for OFWs, recognizing that building a career happens alongside the practical and personal demands of settling into a new country.
In Engineering Beyond Borders, Rob Salamat, P.Eng., addressed engineering licensing, career pathways, and professional practice in British Columbia. Guel Climacosa, Architect AIBC, covered architecture’s corresponding requirements through Designing Your Future. Both sessions helped participants understand how to build on their education and experience.
Mhel Buzon, P.Eng., and Jonald Francisco, PMP, presented Building Canada, exploring construction and project careers in British Columbia. As a project management professional, this mattered to me. Our work depends on people bringing different expertise together, from planning and design through coordination and delivery. Recognizing that range can help someone see where their experience belongs.
Eliseo Yanga III’s Beyond the Resume explored Canadian workplace culture and getting hired. Rachelle Sunga, RN, presented Your Status, Your Strategy, focusing on a roadmap for the first three years in Canada. Vaneza Villaceran’s Moving Forward with WorkBC connected attendees with employment resources to continue learning beyond the summit.
Ellie Lindong, RN, led Beyond the Banter, addressing communication, health, and mental well-being across the built environment. Career conversations need room for how people are coping and whether they can sustain their responsibilities.
The closing Ask, Connect, Grow brought speakers together for panel discussion, networking, and reflection. Registration, breaks, and lunch also gave attendees opportunities to share their own experiences.
Our host, Kath Malabanan, brought warmth, lively energy, and personality throughout the day. Kath, thank you for making everyone feel welcome.
The gathering also brought me back to something I shared: the cost of free.
Admission was free, but organizing P6 required preparation, resources, and coordination. Speakers gave their time. Organizations offered support. Volunteers handled the tasks that made everything possible.
To our volunteers, your service to the community is immense, even when often invisible. I may not name each of you, but your effort deserves recognition. Thank you. May God bless you and return your kindness through strength, joy, and people who show up when you need them.
Attendees invested too. A Saturday carries work commitments, family responsibilities, and the need to rest. Thank you for choosing to spend yours with us.
My sincere thanks to every speaker, the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver – Migrant Workers Office, the Filipino Canadian Construction Society, the Society of Filipino Engineers in British Columbia, UAP-BC, and the International Nursing Alliance. Thank you to Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Vancouver Campus and Lester for welcoming our community into that beautiful space.
To everyone who attended, may your learning ripple beyond the room. Share a resource. Pass along useful advice. Follow up with someone you met. Put one lesson into practice.
We may never know every opportunity that follows P6. What matters is that we gave people a place to begin and keep helping one another move forward.
“The greatest thank you we can give those who helped us rise is to become the reason someone else rises.” — Alain
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