“Service for others” is a phrase from a mission statement that Danilo “Dan” Delfin firmly believes in. This slogan is part of the Jesuit spirituality promoted by his alma mater, the Ateneo de Manila, a prestigious Catholic University in the Philippines. Dan graduated in 1991 with a degree in Liberal Arts and Commerce majoring in Accounting. Then in 1996 he acquired a degree in Masters of Business Administration. He is a Certified Public Accountant. Dan came to Canada in February 2010 with his wife, Shiela and son Symone, they initially moved to his sister’s home in Brandon. The family thought of taking a chance of living a new life in Canada on a “trial basis” for a year. Before he left the Philippines, Dan had a successful career as the head of 80 financial analysts who built a system of financial software migration of an American manufacturing company. He took a leave of absence thinking that he would be back in a year to resume his position. Filipinos are known for their determination and drive for success no matter what the odds. Dan is a perfect example of this trait. In Brandon, he submitted almost a hundred resumes to various companies and when he landed a job at Murray Chevrolet, they indicated that he was “overqualified” and that he should be working in a big company in a major city, but Dan decided that he wanted to “test the waters” first and have a feel of how it was to be employed in a foreign country. Then Dan thought about becoming a Certified General Accountant (CGA) but the region requires credentials that hold the Canadian curriculum which meant he had to take an expensive two year course. Fortunately, Employment Manitoba scheduled him for an interview for a comptroller position. The employer then suggested that Dan sign up for their pilot project which was a “bridging program” for immigrants with finance backgrounds that will enable them to acquire a license to work in banks. Dan had to undergo a series of examinations and interviews before he got into the one-year program. He graduated at the top of his class. He was given a Royal Bank of Canada Immigrant Community Award which led to a job offer by the said bank. Dan started working at RBC Brandon in June of 2011 as an Account Manager. He was then tasked to assist clients at the Neepawa branch as well because of his admirable track record in bringing in new customers. Being a Filipino, gave him an “edge” in encouraging immigrants into opening accounts and investments at RBC. Dan remains humble despite his success. He said that he simply provides his clients with advice and solutions on how to handle financial debts and enable them to have good credit standing in the future. His honesty and kind disposition has won him the trust and respect of many Filipinos. Last Sept. 29, RBC held an awarding ceremony for the company’s top performers. Dan was awarded the 2012 Regional President Community Award and the 2012 Royal Performance Gold Award which is the top award for account managers. In just one year, he achieved these prestigious awards for all his contributions to his bank. Jason Epp, Neepawa RBC’s Branch Manager said that, “Dan has achieved tremendous success in his time with RBC, recently receiving regional and national recognition for his contributions to our business. He is very committed to the Filipino communities in Neepawa and Brandon, dedicating countless personal hours to provide financial advice, and is active in volunteer work across various groups. This has created a high level of trust in both communities for him and the advice he is able to provide.” Jason further said that, “Dan was a key driver in coordinating RBC’s sponsorship of the Western Manitoba All Filipino RBC Cup Basketball Tournament, which was held over an eight week period throughout May/June.” Dan is truly a pride to his fellow Filipinos in Neepawa not only because of his achievements in business but also for his genuine concern for his countrymen. In Dan’s own words he shared this belief, “We can always excel as long as we have a drive for excellence and we can always make a difference.”