If life is a roller coaster, Melodie, Business Development Executive, has handled her bumps well and is now raising her hands enjoying the ride.
Besides having a stable job in the Philippines, Melodie has always depended on her family. Until one day, with only 400 dollars in her pocket, she decided to walk out of her comfort zone and come to Singapore. Since then, Mel’s journey has been full of surprises.
“Two years before joining Commtech Asia, I had the highest and lowest point of my life as a woman. From being a wife and a mother to losing my grandmother, being redundant from my former Company, and being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes,” said Mel. “It was a lot to take in, but hey, I am a woman who never gives up. I will stumble and fall, but I will rise – braver and stronger. Starting my job at Commtech Asia was a fresh start for me; it gave me renewed hope and optimism, and I recently celebrated my 7th year in the Company.
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping-stone to greatness” Mel’s favourite quote from Oprah Winfrey has constantly reminded her that it is okay to fail and take care of oneself. “What I have learned from this pandemic is that we must take good care of ourselves – nothing is more important than being healthy, and for working moms like me, we deserve to rest and recharge and once in a while, forget about those unwashed dishes or unemptied bins!”
When speaking on how to encourage other women, “In no doubt, giving women affirmation and reminding them that incredible things always happen when we have each other’s back!”
Tell me something about yourself?
I have a stable job in the Philippines back then, with lots of friends to go out with on Friday nights, I am enjoying my life. I came from a very close-knit family and I have no plans to go abroad. It was when one of my cousin told me about her plans to go abroad and I was like, can I come with you? (As if we are just going to the mall) and voila! I got my passport and booked my tickets. With no assurance of getting a job, I left the Philippines with just $400 in my pocket.
Since then, my life was like a roller coaster. Two years before joining Commtech Asia, I had the highest and lowest point of my life as a woman. From being a wife and a mother to losing my grandmother, being redundant from my former Company, and being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It was a lot to take in, but I am a woman who never gives up. I will stumble and fall, but I will rise and become braver and stronger.
Starting my job at Commtech Asia was a fresh start for me; it gave me renewed hope and optimism, and I recently celebrated my 7th year in the Company. I am proud of being part of the Commtech Asia family. While I am not working, I love to decorate my house, cook and bake.
This year theme is Break the bias. How do you think we can embrace this in our workplace? And do you think Commtech Asia has tackled this well?
I think we have already done it. Giving equal opportunities based on capabilities and abilities and not by gender. We have more female engineers as well as from our senior management.
Do you have a favourite quote or motto?
“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” – Harold Kushner
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping-stone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey
What is one lesson you learned the hard way?
There are things that are beyond our control. I think for most women, especially working moms like me, where we need to manage our time in between work and keeping the household. We all have a very tight schedule, and we want everything to be completed on time.
And with this pandemic still happening, I learned that we must take good care of ourselves too. A healthy body is far more important than a newly mopped floor or empty laundry basket.
Name one of the women you most look up to? And why?
Without any questions, it would be my Nanay (aka my mother)… She is the strongest woman I have ever known. Having said that, I also believe that every woman has a unique quality that you can always look up to.