AARON
CHUA

From a young age, Aaron’s always enjoyed the pursuit of knowledge: from diving into every book he could get his hands on to joining maths and science competitions, he’s sought to expand his view of the world. 

 

With his natural curiosity came boundless creativity. Recently, Aaron’s carried this creative spirit into a groundbreaking project, co-founding Team Agilas, the first Philippine team to join the F1 in Schools World Finals. Pitching to corporations and news agencies across the Philippines taught him what makes solutions viable from a business perspective, eventually securing publicity on national television and $70,000 from corporate sponsorship to make the trip. At the competition at the Qatar GP, these efforts led to the Best Newcomer award. Furthermore, Aaron’s also developed his business acumen through his nonprofit, YIPEE - Youth for Indigenous Peoples’ Empowerment through Education. After recognizing a gap in indigenous cultural recognition, he collaborated with artisans to design clothing that interlinked indigenous craftsmanship with modern fashion, and sold 3000 units, raising 1 million pesos. These funds were then used to fuel the artisan community’s educational opportunities with supplies. Outside of business and technology achievements though, Aaron is also the managing editor of his school newspaper and the president of his school’s chemistry olympiad club.

 

In the future, Aaron aspires to leverage a college education that provides skills in both materials engineering and business into becoming a technologically-driven entrepreneur. He hopes to bring his innovative nature into developing solutions that empower the underprivileged and marginalized.