Dean JV Padua of the iACADEMY School of Business and Liberal Arts, Principal of Paolo Noceda Senior High School, Vice President for Academics Cecilia Sy, Dean Kiko Napalit of the School of Computing, and Dean Jon Cuyson of the School of Design and the Arts are pictured from left to right.

The deans and faculty of the renowned educational institutions for computing, business, and design studies at 𝐢𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐘 successfully organized a media day event on January 23 at its Makati campus. There, they showcased the school's top-notch tools, curriculum, and innovative approach to game development, animation, and multimedia arts using AI, augmented and virtual reality, and more.

The announcement that iACADEMY, an innovator of cutting-edge education for the previous 22 years, had emerged victorious in the Computing Track of the Huawei ICT 2023–2024 National Championship in December captured the attention of the media. The victory in this contest for young game creators has made it possible for iACADEMY to compete in the Huawei regional game creation competition in April in Jakarta, Indonesia, at a venue that has yet to be revealed.

iACADEMY, which boasts a 96% employment rate for its graduates, reiterated that a variety of career paths await its students studying computing and design. These include the highly sought-after fields of animation, multimedia arts, artificial intelligence, software engineering, web development, data science, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, in addition to the game development industry.

iACADEMY School of Computing Dean Kiko Napalit talks to the media

Vice President of Academics Cecilia Sy, Dean of Computing Kiko Napalit, Dean of Design and the Arts Jon Cuyson, Dean of Business and Liberal Arts JV Padua, and Principal of Senior High School Paolo Noceda attended the event, which celebrated iACADEMY's accomplishments to date in adopting a non-traditional approach to education.

The conference also addressed the impending employment prospects in augmented and virtual reality. After the demonstration, iACADEMY deans ably responded to inquiries from the press regarding the school's goals, job placements, and post-graduation career options.

Kiko Napalit, Dean of the School of Computing: “We can thrive in game development because number one, Filipinos are great at design. The designs that our students are making are at par with international standards. With sufficient support from the government and the private sector, iACADEMY will take the Philippine game development industry to new heights.

We will be at the forefront of game development with GDAP (Game Developers Association of the Philippines) members being professors at iACADEMY. We have so many talented students in game development and many of their games such as Bayani, Unspoken, and Far Away From Home are already out in the market.

The most recent competition we joined was the Huawei ICT (Information and Communications Technology) 2023-2024. We had one team join and they won the nationals. Now they are going to Jakarta, Indonesia, to participate in the regional competition.”

A VR demonstration conducted by Professor Hamil Buyco.

Jon Cuyson, Dean of the School of Design and the Arts: "A lot is going on internationally in virtual and augmented reality. What we do at iACADEMY is prepare them for the incoming career opportunities in the country. As educators, we mold them and give them the information they need. That way, they are prepared when they go out in the real world.

Jon Cuyson, Dean of the School of Design and the Arts

The key players in animation such as Team App Animation Studios, Toon Boom Animation, Top Peg Animation, and Creative Studio—virtual, and augmented reality are present in how we design the curriculum.  Whatever needs to be changed, they will be there.  We hold meetings with them every term to see how updated our curriculums are so that we are always current.

We are always updated. We promote inter-school collaboration, we are in touch with CHED (Commission on Higher Education), and with other regional schools. We have iACADEMY Cebu so it opens up lots of opportunities for collaboration not just in Manila. We are the leaders and pioneers of teaching students AR and VR.”

Cecilia Sy, Vice President for Academics: “In the beginning, iACADEMY faced the challenge of making )a mark in a world where established colleges already held sway in the educational landscape. Undeterred, we embraced the challenge and set out on a path of innovation and specialization.

Cecilia Sy, Vice President for Academics

Offering niche programs initially met with skepticism, but through strong industry partnerships, we not only weathered the storm of criticism but emerged triumphant. Over the past two decades, iACADEMY's success has been shaped by these key elements; our commitment to innovation, strategic partnerships, and the invaluable support of our media partners.

Today, we stand at the forefront of education, fostering an environment where creativity, technology, and knowledge converge to shape the future. Our goal now extends beyond achieving a 96% job placement rate. We aspire to make a global impact, preparing students not just for local success but for a world where borders are blurred, and opportunities are limitless."

About iACADEMY

iACADEMY offers Senior High School and College programs centered on Computing, Business, and Design. As of this writing, iACADEMY has two (2) campuses located in Makati and Cebu. 

For more information, visit www.iacademy.edu.ph.