4 March 2026
Precious “Prep” Palacios stood on the stage of the Philippine International Convention Center on February 14, 2026 and looked out at a familiar sight. Thirty-three years earlier she had sat in the same hall wearing a graduation toga, wondering what the real world would bring next.
Now she returns as the Country Manager of Google Philippines, speaking to the Class of 2026 of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. Families, faculty, and friends filled the venue as graduates from Benilde Manila and Benilde Antipolo celebrated the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
“As I stand here today, I am struck by a powerful sense of déjà vu,” Palacios said. “It was exactly 33 years ago that I sat where you are sitting now.” She asked the audience to imagine what the technology world looked like back then.
“When I graduated, I was using a desktop with a green screen and an operating system that lived on a floppy disk,” she said, drawing laughter from the crowd. The internet was just beginning to take shape. Smartphones did not exist. Artificial intelligence still sounded like science fiction. Even so, the young graduate already felt drawn to the idea that technology could solve real human problems.
“I chose a degree in technology because I was fascinated by the idea that code and logic could solve human problems at scale,” she said.
Her first job placed her at the front lines of that idea. As a business software consultant, she worked with organizations trying to understand how digital tools could improve the way they operated. The experience taught her something that still guides her work today. Technology, she said, has never been about machines alone. It is about the people and communities that use those tools to move forward.
Her career eventually took her to Microsoft, where she spent more than a decade helping companies navigate the digital shift. Years later she joined Google, a move that fulfilled a long-held dream of working at the edge of global technology. “I realized then that my career was a special sauce that God had been slowly cooking for me,” she told the graduates. “Served at exactly the right moment.”
The path that brought her there started much earlier, in quiet conversations with her father.
She remembered evenings on their balcony under a full moon, where he would talk to her about dreams and possibilities. One lesson stayed with her long after those conversations ended. “You can do anything as long as you put your heart and mind into it,” he told her. Palacios carried that belief into every stage of her career. It shaped the way she approached work, decisions, and opportunities.
“I truly believe that intention is the architect of reality,” she said. “Having a clear vision of what you want acts as your North Star.” At Google, that mindset appears in the company’s culture of “moonshots,” a term used for ideas that aim for breakthroughs rather than small improvements. Instead of chasing a ten-percent gain, teams aim for ten times the impact. Palacios encouraged graduates to think the same way about their own futures. “Dream your moonshots,” she said.
Her advice started with something simple. Take the time to understand who you are and what you care about before chasing titles or promotions. “Don’t rush to the top so fast that you forget to build your foundation,” she said. Early career choices shape how people see the world. The environment they choose, the values of the organizations they join, and the people they work with all influence the kind of professionals they become.
Palacios asked the graduates to return to three questions every morning: What impact do I want to make? What problems do I want to solve? How can I use my unique capability to create a better world? Those questions carry new weight in a time when artificial intelligence is changing how work happens across industries. “I want to be very clear,” she said. “AI is not here to do your job for you. It is here to help you do your job better than ever before.”
She described AI as a guide and brainstorming partner that helps people move past the blank page, break down complex problems, and sort through overwhelming amounts of information. When used well, it frees people from repetitive tasks and gives them more time for the work that truly matters. “The real magic happens when you let AI handle the busy work,” she said. “You reclaim your headspace for what truly matters.” That space opens the door to what machines cannot replicate: Being creative, empathetic, and human. “In this AI reality, your human values are your greatest competitive advantage,” she said.
The ideas she described resonate strongly with the direction of Benilde’s business and technology programs today.
Palacios herself graduated from the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Computer Applications, a program that now carries the name Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Business Solutions and Applications. The program combines business strategy with technology tools that help organizations operate more efficiently and adapt to digital change. Students learn how to design data-driven solutions, manage digital projects, and connect business goals with the right technology platforms.
The College continues to evolve these programs to match the pace of the technology industry. Recent updates to the Business Solutions and Applications program curriculum place stronger focus on digital transformation, analytics, and the practical use of emerging tools in business environments.
The same spirit of experimentation appears across the campus. Benilde recently renewed its status as the country’s sole Apple Distinguished School, a recognition given to institutions that integrate technology deeply into teaching and learning. Faculty members also continue to explore new ways of using artificial intelligence in the classroom, including initiatives such as Ignite Launch, where educators test ideas that reshape how students learn and collaborate. For Palacios, these developments show how the environment she once experienced as a student continues to evolve for the next generation.
Before leaving the stage, she offered one final challenge. In the technology sector, she explained, leaders often talk about the “handprint” people leave behind. It refers to the positive mark created when someone’s work improves the lives of others. She encouraged graduates to think about their own handprints. “Because you were in the room, the people around you are better, the project is stronger, and the community is more uplifted,” she said.
The path forward will demand effort, courage, and imagination. Palacios told the graduates they already possess the tools they need. “Dream your moonshots. Go further than any of us ever imagined,” she said. “Be bold. Be responsible. Put your heart and your mind into everything you do.”
For more information on Benilde’s undergraduate programs, contact us at (63) 2 8230 5100 local 1801 or admissions@benilde.edu.ph. You may also visit our website at www.benilde.edu.ph.
