Gabriel V. de la Cruz Jr.

My passion for education and robotics is what drove me to pursue a graduate degree. Having been raised in a lower-middle-class family in the Philippines, and with a great number of Filipinos under the poverty line, it is common for us to be reminded by our parents that aside from working hard that we must strive in having a better education in order to succeed in life. This is where my passion for teaching emanates that I want to be able to help others succeed. Right now, my goal is to work in the industry first and use that experience to then go back to the academe and help students discover their talents and fulfill their goals.

On the other hand, my interest in robotics stemmed from several experiences in my active duty years in the military. I see the benefits of robots to be applicable in so many areas. Although robots are now heavily used in the industry, robots are still underutilized elsewhere. I just don’t want to be a part of the next big shift in technology where robots are being used as part of everyone’s day-to-day activities, but I want to be able to contribute to its realization.