Working Mother and Operations Manager Completes BS-IS Program through ETEEAP
Working Mother and Operations Manager Completes BS-IS Program through ETEEAP
16 June 2025
Thirteen professionals received their college diplomas through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) during the June 2025 Commencement Exercises at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. This is the highest number of ETEEAP graduates from the school in over 20 years. Among them are the first graduates from Music Production, Hospitality and Luxury Management, and Information Systems.
One of the new BS-IS graduates is Marie Domenique Crescini Araullo, who managed to complete the program while working full-time as an Operations Manager and raising two children. She had spent six years in the BPO industry, handling international clients, even though she did not hold a college degree at the time. “I had to work twice as hard to prove I could lead,” said Araullo. “At first, I didn’t think I belonged in that space.”
A mentor’s support helped her grow into leadership, but she still wanted to earn a diploma. After learning about ETEEAP and spending almost a year thinking about the timing and her responsibilities at home and at work, she decided to apply to Benilde’s Information Systems program. She became part of the first group to take the course under ETEEAP.
During the program, she completed portfolio reviews and validation sessions with professors. These helped her organize her existing skills in operations and gain new knowledge in areas such as systems thinking, project management, and data analysis. “I started to believe that I truly earned this degree,” she said.
She shared that the support from her professors gave her confidence and guidance. At home, her husband and parents helped take care of her children so she could focus on her studies. “I wanted to be a good example to my kids. I wanted them to see that it’s never too late to keep learning.”
Now that she has completed her degree, Araullo plans to take up a master’s program. She said that earning the diploma gave her more confidence and prepared her for bigger challenges at work and in life.
To professionals who are unsure about enrolling in ETEEAP, she shared this message: “You don’t have to do everything at once. Just don’t stop. Trust the process and take that first step.”
For more information on Benilde’s ETEEAP and other 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.
