08/07/2025
โจ FROM TRAINEE TO TRAINER: A FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT โจ
โThank you for believing in people like me. I come from a place where chances like this donโt come often. But because of you and what DICT Region 11 stands for, I was given a chance to grow, to learn, and to believe in myself. You didnโt just open a door, you gave us the chance to move forward to a better future.โ
โ Miss Julie, 2025
In 2018, Miss Julie stood at a difficult crossroads. She had just returned to her hometown at Malita, Davao Occidental. Far from the comfort and opportunities of city life. With no stable job, no internet, and a child with special needs, the weight of uncertainty was overwhelming. But with quiet courage, she said โYesโ to DICTโs free Rural Impact Sourcing training (now Strengthening the Philippine Workforce through Adaptive Responsive Digital Knowledge or SPARK). She trained through a weak internet, borrowed mobile load, and constant self-doubt, yet she pushed through and became one of only 21 successful graduates. Soon after, she worked as a Virtual Assistant, then climbed the ranks to become a Social Media Manager, Customer Support Specialist, and eventually a Sales Manager earning a six-digit monthly income.
In 2025, she returned not as a trainee, but as a Resource Speaker for SPARK Training for General Virtual Assistance 2.0 (formerly RIST). Under her guidance, 23 of 25 trainees completed the program, and 21 are already working as General Virtual Assistants. She now runs two local brands (Kamera Photography, and Bahandi), leads her own Virtual Assistance agency, owns a car, and is soon to move to her very first home, a milestone she only once dreamed of.
Her story is a powerful reminder that DICTโs โWalang Iwanan sa Digital Bayanihanโ is more than just a promise. It is DICT Region 11โs mission in action: to reach the farthest, uplift the unheard, and empower communities through inclusive digital opportunities.
It is through stories like hers that we are reminded that digital tra
