Filipino International Student Angela Bauza On Her Master’s Program Journey

by Jim Bea Sampaga

Studying abroad is a privilege and a gift that many students hope to experience in their educational careers. Similarly, aiming for higher education by pursuing a master’s degree is also something that most young adults don’t consider but when an opportunity presents itself to pursue graduate school, it’s an opportunity that is too hard to pass.

For Filipino international student Angela Bauza, the opportunity to pursue graduate school abroad was a chance for her to regain herself from burnout and explore the world beyond the confines of Manila, Philippines.

“As much as I loved my job, I was looking for something more. Then my parents suggested looking into graduate programs,” Bauza shared as she recalls the start of her journey as an international student in the United States.

“And that’s what made me realize, maybe this is an opportunity for me to start pursuing my big dream of living abroad, specifically New York, and also rekindle my passion for the industry at the same time.”

Born and raised in the Philippines, Bauza grew up in a big family surrounded by her parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, and aunties.

She pursued a degree in Communication Arts with a specialization in Film at De La Salle University in Manila because of her love and passion for film production.

After graduation, she had a stint as a production assistant in a production company but quickly realized that it wasn’t the right path for her.

Despite leaving the production industry, she ventured into a similar industry such as advertising and public relations that still championed her skills in production. With an impressive career in public relations, Bauza said she learned the best lesson while working at an agency.

“Being under a lot of stress and pressure, sometimes you can’t help but feel really overwhelmed and it can really get to you,” she shared. “But I learned that if I’m able to communicate with my team (where I’m lacking, where I need help with, etc), then we work better as a team, and it also makes us stronger as a team.”

However, the pressures of challenging and fast-paced work still lead to burnout. With the encouragement of her parents, Bauza looked into graduate schools despite her initial thoughts of being “just an average student.”

“For the longest time, I’ve perceived graduate school as prestigious and only the smartest people could get accepted. Since I was never really a grade A student in school and I was just an average student, I didn’t think this would be an actual opportunity for me,” she explained.

“But more than anything, getting a chance to live in New York has always been a dream of mine and that’s what pushed me the most. I thought that it was worth giving it a shot, at least. Because if I didn’t end up getting it, then at least I wouldn’t have regrets and I knew that I tried.”

Bauza took a leap of faith and sent her application to New York University’s (NYU) Master’s in Integrated Marketing program in January 2021. Two months later, she received her acceptance letter. She then began to process her U.S. student visa application. 2021 was a tough year as the world tried to make sense of the new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Processing her visa application with the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Bauza faced numerous delays that almost made her miss her first day of school at NYU. But luckily, she made it in time to New York in August 2021.

“I hoped to get to New York a month before school started, but because of the delay with the embassy, it was shortened to two weeks,” she said. “It was a lot of time under pressure, but thankfully it all worked out in the time.”

Her master’s program took two years to complete and Bauza officially graduated in May 2023. Looking back, she shared the whole graduate program experience was inspiring.

“Experiencing graduate school at NYU was both challenging and inspiring,” Bauza shared.

“It was inspiring because I got to meet a lot of great people, from all over the world. My classmates and I all had our own stories and I don’t think we would have crossed paths if it wasn’t for this. It was also inspiring because I had the privilege to be taught by professors who were real professionals and experts in the industry. My fellow classmates were colleagues in the industry. And it was really inspiring to see how we were all from different parts of the world, but we shared the same passion for this, and that’s what connected us.”

Despite living thousands of miles away from the Philippines and Asia, Bauza still kept in touch with her roots and is always looking for ways to give back to the Asian community. Currently, Bauza works at an Asian clothing brand company called Love, Bonito as part of its marketing team. As an Asian woman, she is proud to see her employer champion women’s empowerment in the workplace and in the products they offer.

“The best part of my job is being able to with like-minded people and serving the community of Asian women like me,” she shared.

“It’s great that I also align with the company’s values especially when it comes to women empowerment and I think that’s one of the biggest motivations I have while working for Love, Bonito. I also work with a great team of passionate women and they help me grow every single day, even outside of work, I really learn a lot from them.”

In her free time, she volunteers at a non-profit organization that focuses on giving back to the Asian community. Bauza volunteers at Heart of Dinner, a non-profit in New York that addresses food insecurity and isolation experienced by Asian American seniors. As part of the organization, she personally delivers nutritious care packages to the elders.

“I enjoy volunteering because it’s through these actions that may look small but may have a huge impact on someone else, that makes it feel extremely fulfilling. I am also continuously looking for other non-profit organizations and programs that I could volunteer at,” she shared.

When asked about her future plans, Bauza shared that she’s focused on building her career in the US.

“I love New York and I’m not ready to leave just yet. For the foreseeable future, I hope to be able to work here and start building a life here for myself,” she said. “I don’t have plans on moving back to the Philippines anytime soon, but I am not closing my doors there especially because my family is there.”

For fellow Filipinos who are dreaming of moving abroad for school, Bauza advises them to hold on to that dream and not let it go.

“Believe in yourself and know that you deserve to chase after your dreams just like everyone else,” she shared. “With hard work and great passion, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. It won’t be an easy journey, but nothing worth having comes easy.”