"We Didn't Go Abroad Just to Earn a Living. We Went Abroad to Build Something That Could Change Lives."
Neither of us left the Philippines because we wanted to become entrepreneurs.
We left because we needed opportunities.
For Gerryl, it meant growing up in a humble family in Albay, watching her parents sacrifice everything so their children could stay in school. She earned a scholarship, promised herself she would one day give back, and boarded a plane to the UAE with nothing but ambition.
For Ace, it meant leaving behind a career he already loved. Teaching had always been his calling in the Philippines, but like many Filipinos, he knew working abroad offered a chance to provide a better future for his family.
We arrived in the UAE on different paths.
Gerryl was a fresh graduate with no experience, taking her first job as an administrative assistant before slowly climbing into the world of finance. Ace transitioned from education to the healthcare insurance industry, learning how to thrive in a completely different environment.
Starting over wasn't glamorous.
There were unfamiliar cultures, long hours, homesickness, and the constant pressure to prove ourselves. Every promotion, every opportunity, every small victory had to be earned.
But somewhere along the way, we both realized something.
Success abroad wasn't just about earning a higher salary.
It was about creating opportunities for others.
That realization eventually brought us together.
Instead of asking ourselves how far we could climb individually, we started asking a different question:
"What if we built something that could help other people rise, too?"
That question became ACE-GEN Advanced Generation Training Center.
Building a school while maintaining demanding careers as OFWs wasn't easy.
There were financial risks, sleepless nights, difficult decisions, and moments when the easier choice would've been to stay comfortable with stable jobs.
But education had always been bigger than business.
For Ace, returning to education felt like coming home after years away from the classroom.
For Gerryl, it became the perfect way to combine leadership, entrepreneurship, and her desire to create opportunities for fellow Filipinos.
Today, while continuing their respective careers in the UAE—Gerryl as a senior finance professional in a Dubai-based bank and Ace as a healthcare professional and educator—they also serve as the managing partners and owners of ACE-GEN, a training institution committed to helping aspiring professionals gain the skills and confidence to pursue careers of their own.
The most rewarding moments don't happen inside boardrooms.
They happen during graduation ceremonies.
They happen when students send messages saying they've landed their first job.
They happen when families tell us that one opportunity changed the direction of their lives.
Those are the moments that remind us why we started.
People often think success abroad is measured by promotions, salaries, or titles.
We've learned that success can also be measured by how many lives you've helped change.
Our journeys began with uncertainty, sacrifice, and faith.
Today, they continue with the same purpose that first brought us here: not just to build better lives for ourselves, but to open doors for others.
If there's one lesson we'd like fellow OFWs to remember, it's this:
Don't let your background decide your future.
Keep learning.
Keep showing up.
Keep believing in something bigger than yourself.
Because sometimes, the greatest thing you'll build abroad isn't your career.
It's a legacy that helps other people build theirs.