Ma Rossana Fernandez – Administrative Assistant

I am Ma. Rossana H. Fernandez, 52 years old, married, with four adult children. I graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts in a prestigious school in the Philippines. For the last 30 years, I have worked in various fields, interests, and disciplines.

I live by the principle that one is never too old to start something different and learn and excel in a new discipline. I also make sure that no matter what challenges life gives me, I will adapt, reinvent myself and continue to be relevant and be valuable in the marketplace.

For me, the amount of remuneration I am given is a by-product of the kind of work I produce. Therefore, I strive to be excellent, if not effective, at the very least on any task given to me.

After graduation, I immediately went to work and started my career as a Technical Assistant at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), a government institution mandated to oversee national planning on economic development. I was young and inexperienced, but this was where I learned not just to “think outside of the box” but to become “bigger than the box.” Back then, organizations in the country were just starting to use Microsoft Windows. My direct supervisor saw that I was eager to learn and allowed me to use her computer with the condition that I would teach the other staff. That event made me realize that I would become bigger than my job title if I excel and produce more than my job description. I was also fortunate enough to participate in a one-month certificate training on Project Development and Management during my stay.

I stayed in NEDA for two years until the agency transferred me to an Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) project called Philippines-Canada Local Government Support Program. I started as a Computer Operator and was designated as Disbursement Officer. After two years, I was promoted to Administrative Assistant IV, which lasted until the end of the project in December 1999. While in PC-LGSP, my task included, among others: documentation of meetings, preparation of Board Resolutions; events management; preparation of correspondence; and setting of appointments and schedules. On top of these, I was also allowed to do technical work, including project design, implementation, and management. One of the projects that I managed from its inception to its completion was launching the Provincial Agri-Industrial Centers (PAICs). The project included organizing and coordinating Local Government Units (LGUs) in the Davao Region in various trade fairs, business conferences, and business matchings. It also included a media plan that provided media mileage for the local products of the different participating Provinces. In the seven years that I was with PC-LGSP, I learned the doctrine “Completed Staff Work.” I included the link for your reference: https://govleaders.org/completed-staff-work.htm. Up to this day, and until I can no longer do productive work, this will remain embedded in the kind of work that I do.

After the project ended, from 2000 to this year, or a span of 21 years, I had three significant positions, different from each other but certainly built on my knowledge, skillset, and wisdom. The first was as the Executive Director of a non-government organization called Humanitarian Involvement for Economic Development (HIRED) Fdn. (2002-2006). Together with some partners, I was able to set up and register the foundation. We provided services for project development and management, as well as capacity building and organizational development. When my technical partners went overseas for other economic opportunities, I closed the foundation and briefly worked as a Human Resource Manager for a private company (2006-2007), then joined a multi-level marketing organization in 2009. The MLM industry taught me how to do product presentations, cold market testing and pitching, direct mailing, product training, and events management. I also put up my own Health and Wellness Lifestyle Hub, where I would personally coach my clients on weight management and leading a healthy lifestyle. I was part of this industry from 2009 to 2016. In 2016, a friend challenged me to become a teacher as there was a high demand for Senior High School teachers. I took up the necessary units that enabled me to take the Licensure Examinations for Teachers in 2017. After passing, I applied and became an SHS Teacher for Media and Information Literacy.

I was already 48 years old when I became a teacher. It was a different profession, a different environment, a different way of proceeding. But it was precisely because of these that called on to me to do it. In my 3rd year of teaching and the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, the country’s educational system shifted to online teaching. This was yet again another challenge that I had to learn and become proficient in. At the end of the school year, I was able to get a performance rating of 98%.

After discovering the advantages of a work-from-home arrangement, I have decided to shift to virtual work to save me from the long drive to work and back and provide me with time for other personal pursuits while still relevant and valuable in the marketplace.

If you think the experience, skills, and the wisdom I have gained in the last 30 years will benefit you and your organization and that I will be an asset to your team, I am available for an interview at your convenience.

May this narrative serve its purpose of making you see a valuable part of who I am.

For a copy of Rossana’s resume please click here.