Porsche opens a new world for cafeteria worker

MADEL Bejerano (third from left), PTRCA Batch 2 and now Warranty Administrator and Mechatronic for PGA-Caps-Porsche Philippines, with brother Salvador Bejerano Jr. (extreme left) and other PTRCA graduates

Once in a while, you hear heart-warming, life-changing, feel-good stories which gives you some hope and even for the most jaded, belief that life isn’t really all that bad.

Madel Bejerano is one of those success stories.

What makes her story amazing is that she’s a female working in a male-dominated sector of the motoring industry.

Madel hails from a poor family in Metro Manila. She helped herself through school by working in the cafeteria during breaks, saving whatever she could just so that she had money for tuition, food and other extra-curricular expenses associated with education for herself and her three siblings. A straight-A student for most of her grade school in San Vicente Elementary School and high school life in Quezon City High, Madel tried her best to make sure that the P300 she earned a week serving food in the high school cafeteria, often staying late after her own classes were done. Eventually, the burden of having three other siblings in school took its toll, and Madel had to stop after graduating from high school so she could send all three of her siblings through school while she tried to find work.

While looking for a job, Madel, a very devout Catholic became very active in their local Parish Church of Jesus of Nazareth and perhaps through Divine Intervention, she found her calling to be a certified Porsche Mechatronic. Madel was part of a group of eight boys and girls called the Mekong Scholars in their Parish, and all eight of them were referred to Don Bosco Makati. Initially, they were all disappointed, particularly Madel, who was hoping to get into a regular 4-year college program, but instead ended up in a vocational-technical school. It was difficult for them as the group didn’t know what to expect and had to be at Don Bosco to take their entrance exams and interviews no later than 6 a.m. They all initially took exams in the Industrial Electronics Program of Don Bosco, which was a very difficult program. Out of the eight applicants from Madel’s group, only five passed and only Madel made it into the Industrial Electronics Program while the rest of her group ended up taking Automotive Technician Program. Since Madel still was unsure of what to do, she ended up transferring to the Automotive Technician Program just the same so she could be with her friends.

A month after starting her schooling, Madel found out that she had qualified to be a scholar-trainee of a Japanese automotive manufacturer. Unfortunately, at the last minute, she was turned away because according to her, her gender was an issue with the manufacturer. The manufacturer felt that she would be unable to take on the rigors and the careful chronological and systematic thinking required of a certified automotive technician. Madel felt bad, but as is often the case in life, when an opportunity slips away, something better is on its way.

A few months after, the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center-Asia, a joint-project between PGA Cars-Porsche and Don Bosco Makati, which is the only Porsche training and recruitment entity outside of Germany, started looking for its then second batch of PTRCA scholars. Madel was once again qualified, but kept her expectations low. Surprisingly, Madel was accepted and started her training at PTRCA while finishing her academic requirements at Don Bosco-Makati at the same time. The training schedule was brutal for Madel who, for 10 months, relied solely on willpower, prayers and she says Divine Providence to help keep her petite body up to the task of waking up every day at 4 a.m. to reach Don Bosco by 6 a.m.

She needed to maintain her high grades to continue to be a PTRCA scholar. After the 10 months at Don Bosco, Madel started training at the PTRCA Facility at PGA Cars-Porsche. Learning English was difficult as the PTRCA trainers were German, such as former PTRCA-Asia head Thorsten Hagel. Madel recalls a funny incident wherein her first physical task after finishing preliminary training was how to properly remove a huge 19″ rear wheel from a Porsche 911. She was successful but ended up with a fever that evening, which was no surprise considering that the wheel-and-tire combination probably weighed close to half Madel’s diminutive weight.

Fast forward two years and four months and now Madel’s a full-time certified Porsche Mechatronic (the term for all Porsche-trained mechanics) working as the Warranty Administrator of PGA Cars-Porsche. Because of Madel’s success in the PTRCA-Asia and landing a job immediately, her brother Salvador applied as well and was accepted into the PTRCA-Asia training and is now graduating with the rest of the fifth batch of PTRCA-Asia, with a job waiting for him abroad. Madel feels that women are better suited for some automotive tasks such as wiring and electrical work because women are generally more fastidious with details, an important trait checking the wiring harness of a modern sports-car with all its wires and electronics. Asked if she can assemble a Metzger-block 4.0 liter engine from a GT3RS, or a PDK transmission from a 911 Turbo S, Madel smiles shyly but also confidently answers that given the right tools, training and opportunity, she doesn’t see why not. Confident but not boastful and devout and pious in her beliefs. Maybe the fringe benefits of humility.