Introduction

I'm Mark Aethen G. Agana, born in South Cotabato, Philippines. I'm a multisport athlete, a community volunteer for education, environment, and health, an aspiring social entrepreneur, and a proud Filipino.

I grew up in a simple home, where most of the time, we had just enough, and the rest of the time there was a little less than enough. However, I didn't allow my circumstances be an excuse for me not to succeed in life. Currently, I work as technical consultant in various NGO projects and an alumnus of The Outstanding Students of the Philippines.

I envision a nation where Filipinos have equity to access to quality college education and who are productive and responsible leaders of society.

All of my advocacy, my firing desire for change and progress, these are the same reasons why I joined the World Merit community. These hopes ignited and relieved my dreams of fighting for a better world, starting in Philippines. I gained an incredible amount of energy and motivation from other members who continue to push one another to reach their full potential.

What is your vision to Win Your Big Year?

Your Big Year is more than a competition. It is beyond competition. It is not only fun. It is not only inspiring. It is a chance to be one and share true friendship with equally talented people worldwide. It is life-changing and an opportunity to change the world.

At the moment, I can say that I have won so much out of YBY. The network and friends I gained out of it is already the reward for engaging and being active in the community.

Winning it is just a bonus and an opportunity to lead change and work together for a more equitable, stable, and peaceful world.

Why would you want to travel the globe?

Aside from to be inspired, to see and experience different cultures, to eat, and to meet new and interesting people, I want to travel to mainly experience how people are generally good and to have broader perspective of the world for I believe that the only way to really have a sense of how the world works is to see it yourself. What do you think that you had that the rest dint that brought you this far?

Everyone in Your Big Year is equally talented and amazing. We all have different inspiring stories to share and we all have the same heart for creating a better global community.

But I think what makes me stand out from the rest is the way I packaged my ideas to convey key messages to the community. I think out of the box and do things creatively. Also, I always have a ready smile and make sure I incorporate "fun" factor in everything wonderful I do.

One message for the youth of the globe...

Live you dreams. Remember that you can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. Make anything possible and start a journey to confidence. Anything is possible in life... and it begins with the confidence from within.

Sharing also my mantra in life, "Keep learning, leading and serving for life."