FTW Foundation

Some students are not waiting for opportunity.
They are just waiting for access.
Last week at Sisters of Mary Girlstown in Cavite, that access showed up.
Together with S&P Global, who donated laptops to the school and FTW.
But what stood out was not the donation.
It was what happened next.
Students immediately started learning:
Excel. AI tools. Hands-on skills they can use right now.
Many of these students come from the most underserved communities across the Philippines.
But sitting in that room, what you saw was not limitation.
You saw curiosity.
Effort.
And big dreams.
The most special moment:
Some of the speakers were FTW alumni who were once students in Sisters of Mary too.
They came back, not just to share stories, but to show what is possible.
And the students felt it.
“Dreams should be bigger than fears.”
“Excel can help me in my future job.”
“AI gives us more opportunities.”
Grateful to S&P Global for making this day possible, and for showing up not just as donors, but as mentors.

Maika did not come from tech.
She did not have a STEM degree.
Before anyone could doubt her, she had already doubted herself.
For a long time, a data career felt out of reach. Not because she lacked ability, but because she could not see herself there yet.

FTW Batch 10 changed that.
She stopped asking “Am I good enough?”
And started asking “How do I solve this?”
After FTW, she was hired as a data analyst and the only woman on her team.
Not as a symbol. Just someone doing the work.

This is what changed after 3 months in FTW.
Not just skills. Capability.
Most started at zero or entry-level.
By the end, the majority moved into intermediate and advanced.

But more importantly, they learned how to:
• break down business problems
• explain insights clearly
• work with others to make decisions

This is the difference between learning tools and being ready for real work.

“In classes, datasets are clean and structured. In the real world, data is chaotic.”
This is something we hear often from FTW graduates once they start working in data.
The real shift is not just learning tools.

Because the real work in data does not start with writing a query.
It starts with understanding what problem you are trying to solve in the first place.

Most people think learning data starts with tools.
SQL. Python. Tableau
But for many women in FTW, the shift happens when they start using them.
~ Working with messy datasets
~ Trying to make sense of incomplete information
~ Presenting what the data actually means
That is where things start to click.

One Batch 11 scholar shared that what excited her most was building a data pipeline from scratch.
Another said she started enjoying the process of cleaning and organizing data.
Not because it was easy, but because it started to make sense.

This is what learning looks like when it is applied.
Batch 12 is opening soon. Stay tuned.

Not everything that changes can be captured in a certificate.
Sometimes it shows up in small moments.
Speaking up when you would have stayed quiet before.
Trying again after feeling stuck.
Choosing to apply instead of waiting.

These are the kinds of shifts that happened during FTW Batch 11.
Not all at once.
Not dramatically.
But steadily.
And that changes everything.

Because when women start showing up differently in their own lives…
they start opening doors they once thought were not for them.

Batch 12 is opening soon 💙

“I didn’t think I could do this.” “I almost quit.” “I didn’t feel like I belonged.”
These are real reflections from FTW Batch 11.
Not before the program. During it.
But they stayed. They learned. They kept going.

And slowly, something changed.
“Kaya ko pala.” “I can solve problems.” “I can do hard things.”

FTW is built on one belief:
The gap in tech is not ability.
It is access, confidence, and opportunity.
Batch 12 is opening soon: https://www.ftwfoundation.org/batch12-about

She started in accountancy. Engineering. Physics. Education.
Different paths. Same question: “Can I really do this?”
Batch 12 is opening soon.
If you’ve been thinking about trying something new, this could be your starting point.
Be the first to know when applications open: https://www.ftwfoundation.org/batch12-about

You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You just have to start.

“I don’t think leadership roles are for me.”
Have you ever thought that?
Diwa did too.
Before FTW, she didn’t have data experience on her CV. Breaking into tech felt out of reach.
But one opportunity changed everything.
Through the program, she gained the skills and landed her first data role. From there, she kept going.
Today, she’s a Team Lead in Business Intelligence.

Her biggest lesson?
“You’ll never know your limits until you test them.”
Sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t ability.
It’s the moment we decide not to try.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone.
Sometimes, one opportunity is all it takes to change your direction.