To my first Protegee

An OJT student with a great love for anime and an interest on the concept of web development. She was shy, bubbly and reserved, her potential isn’t something you can determine right out of the box. But after unraveling her shell, I can tell you that she’s a very pleasant surprise. She entered into the wings of the team with the ability to learn, now she leaves with the ability to leave you in awe.

In before her arrival, I used to do both design and development for the company, and slowly as we progressed through the industry, the load was too much for me to handle. She entered as one part of a trio: a girl who’s great with research and formulation, a boy who’s resourceful and her, the girl who I have gone to collaborate with in web development.

We grew together learning the language of the internet browsers and making things come alive from Photoshop to digital-reality, it was an experience I shared with her throughout with lots of hit and miss to match our crazy schedules and tasks. I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t trust the way she organizes her content, every time I had to debug it, I lose hair strands.

Her journey to proficiency obviously didn’t end there though, she accepted corrections, acted on suggestions and ended up with great recognition from me and the team. We were a tandem in the front-end tango. I did the design, she did the development, we became the aesthetic gospel of the brands we handled — we made people believe in the projects we accomplish. We were the two titans that carried the front lines with the battle of the web.

But alas, things have to happen. Now she has left the team and me but with 2 new apprentice to grow (And 2 more OJTs to enlighten). She’s already planted the roots and I’m left with the task now of seeing the talented individuals in my team, grow once more to a fine young blood like how she was.

Shiro, you were my first protegee and successful teammate. If you have learned lessons under my wing, you have taught me a lot as well in a more diverse category than that of the web. A chunk of my improvements in being better as a developer and leader, I credit to you. It’s without saying that I will always be proud of you and your growth and I will miss you and your skill that you have lent to the SEOHacker family. Where we stand now, has been built with your foundation. I pray that wherever you are now, that you will live the “Hacker Innovation” that you have cultivated here.

You are part of our history, but that doesn’t always mean you have to stay in our past. We will be waiting for your return.

To the future and beyond.