Finding his passion for human resources and combining it with his friendly personality, Russel Bajacan is happily graduating from BYU–Hawaii this semester. Coworkers and friends find his graduation bitter sweet.
Russel Bajacan, a senior from the Philippines majoring in human resources, followed his childhood dream of coming to study at Hawaii. Looking back on his experience here, Bajacan said, “Studying at BYUH is a good stepping stone for someone trying to build their career and resume. If you take it seriously, you will grow. Grab whatever opportunity BYUH has to offer. Study hard and have fun. Don’t just stay in your room and study. Go explore the island, have some adventures. Network.”
Before Hawaii
Before traveling to Hawaii, Bajacan was studying radiology in the Philippines for three years. For one year, he was a Missionary Training Center (MTC) teacher. Bajacan resigned from the MTC so he could continue his education. Bajacan’s family was happy and supportive to see him go to Hawaii.
First impressions of BYUH
When he arrived in Hawaii, he thought the school was in the middle of Honolulu with malls and stores everywhere. He said, “I got on the bus, and then I realized the school was far away in the countryside. The setup of the school was different from the Philippines. Here you need to study hard on your own while you’re working too. In the Philippines, I was a full time student taking 30 credits.
“When I got here, I was majoring in supply chain management. The first couple of classes were tough and they didn’t feel right. I then changed my major to human resources because it was more personable.”
Coworker’s perspective on Bajacan
Bajacan works at the Career Center alongside fellow students and senior missionaries. Sister Sherry Anthony from Utah said, “We’ve worked with him for one year. Russel is a very competent and knowledgeable. He is the go-to-guy in the office, especially when I have problems with my computer. He’s very patient and kind to old people like my husband and I.
“This past summer, he was always the first one at the office, ready to work. He has a great attitude, and he is very good with people. I’ve never seen him slack off. He’s graduating and we don’t want him to go.”
In the summer, the Career Center moved to its current location in the CAC. Anthony said, “During the transition, he and another worker, Tita, were singing songs from the movie ‘The Greatest Showman’. One song they kept singing at the top of their lungs was ‘Never Enough’. You know, usually when someone repeatedly sings songs, you’d get tired of it. Not in this case, I went ahead and bought the album to the movie. Whenever I listen to it, it reminds me of them. He might be fun-sized but he is a Goliath in spirit.”
Coworker Tita Mongan, a sophomore from Indonesia majoring in communication and media studies, said, “He is a very good team player and worker. He is so reliable and we can get our work done on time. He is also fun too, because he is probably the loudest in person in the office. It’s kinda boring if he is not at work. Even though he could be loud, he still keeps his professionalism at work. It’s a bit sad that he is leaving.”
Describing a silly side of Bajacan, Mongan said, “He loves to pretend to be an emcee at the office. She said, “He would just out of the blue say ‘Aloha, thank you for blah blah blah.’ One phrase that he would always say is, ‘Today’s devotional speaker is brother blah blah blah’ with the face and gesture of an emcee.
“We usually sing during lunch break when there’s no one at the office. Sometimes we sing when the boss is not around. There was actually one time when we were singing in the office, and he was holding a fan and facing it to blow my hair. Someone joked, ‘the boss is here’ and he just dropped the fan and we hid. The boss was actually not coming.”
The future for Bajacan
Bajacan said he took international human resources and organizational behavior courses because it made him grow in his major. He said, “I was interested in public administration and disaster management. I also like to teach and got my TESOL certificate. This is my last semester, and I am doing academic training. I am planning to go to graduate school in Canada, specifically York University in Toronto. They have a good HR program and Human Resource Management.”
Writer: Bruno Maynez