Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. National University alumnus and Balik Scientist participant Engineer Vicente DyReyes would have pursued aerospace engineering studies in the country, but the course was not offered when he enrolled in college.
How did he become an aerospace engineer? “It was an accident since during my college years here in Philippines there was no aerospace engineering courses offered,” he told the BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview.
DyReyes was destined to become an engineer because “I enjoy mathematics. I always get high grades and besides my friends think that if you are good in math, people admire you.”
Then opportunity came knocking on his door. His US-based sister, a medical doctor, invited him to study in the US and stay with her husband, who is also a medical doctor.
When DyReyes was still an engineering student in the US, it was the height of the Cold War with the USSR. After graduation, he was hired at the Grumman Aerospace Corp. in New York. “It was there where I fully developed my skills in the field of aerospace,” he said.
He admitted that racial discrimination was already an issue at that time in the US. But he remained steadfast. He worked hard and was not bothered by discrimination in any form because he believes race should not be a factor in his performance.
“I truly believe that nobody knows my capability more than myself, unless I admit to you that you are better than me,” DyReyes said. He believes he succeeded at work because of his strong determination. “I always like to challenge myself. I could always learn things. Learning just takes a matter of time,” DyReyes said.
Now, he is a proud parent of three children who were all born in the US, and all of his children are successful in their chosen fields. “Nobody followed my footsteps as an engineer. One of them is an entrepreneur, the youngest is in management,” he said.
Looking back, DyReyes said his other motivation to study in the US was his desire to excel in academics and, like most Filipinos, to seek greener pastures.
He loves the idea of staying in the country for now because of his yearning for the closeness in Filipino families.
“In the US, the older you get, the more they ignore you, which is the opposite in the Philippines because of our culture—we have close family ties. In the US, whenever I invite my grandson to go shopping, he always complains that he has to study.”
Being a Balik Scientist, DyReyes is contributing to the development of young Filipino engineers. “I have my experience to share with the young engineers, that is why I love teaching here and that is always part of my job as a Balik Scientist—to help improve the quality of engineering schools here,” he added.
Finally, he commended the lofty goal of the Balik Scientist Program to help propel the country to become an industrial power in the world. He said he wanted to contribute to the improvement of the livelihood of Filipinos.
“I have been waiting for that day when a Filipino will become a winner in the Olympics of science and technology,” he said.