From Dorm Mates to Business Partners

From Dorm Mates to Business Partners

A Fictional Story Inspired by Real Friendships at 3D ACADEMY

“We didn’t come to Cebu to start a business. We came to learn English. But 3D gave us something more—a spark, a space, and a friendship that changed everything.”

It all started with a rice cooker.

Not in a corporate office.
Not in a startup bootcamp.
Just a small, shared dorm kitchen at 3D ACADEMY in Cebu, Philippines.

That’s where Anya, a graphic designer from Russia, and Ethan, a software engineer from Taiwan, first met.

They were total strangers, living in the same dormitory wing. But over shared meals, casual chats, and late-night conversations, a simple friendship began to grow—and with it, a spark of collaboration.

Chapter 1: A Shared Meal

When Anya arrived in Cebu, she was nervous. It was her first time in Southeast Asia, and her English was very limited.

“I could write well, but I couldn’t speak fluently,” she recalls. “So I kept to myself.”

Ethan had recently left a tech job in Taipei and wanted to take a break while improving his English. They were both placed in the same dorm, and one night, Ethan noticed Anya struggling with a rice cooker.

“Need help?” he asked.

That was their first real conversation.

It wasn’t perfect English. But it was enough.

Chapter 2: From Small Talk to Big Ideas

Over the next few weeks, Anya and Ethan began talking more—about class, Cebu life, and language learning. Their English improved, and so did their conversations.

Anya shared her dream of designing something meaningful. Ethan talked about his curiosity in building tools that help people.

They started sketching ideas. Not for a real startup, but just for fun. They imagined apps for travelers, resources for English learners, and tools for international students.

They didn’t intend to build anything.

But something about Cebu, 3D, and the time they had in the dorm gave them the space to explore freely.

Chapter 3: The Dorm as a Creative Space

Their dorm lounge became a kind of brainstorming lab.

On the whiteboard, they drew rough wireframes.
They asked classmates from Saudi Arabia, Korea, and Spain for feedback.
They tested simple prototypes using Google Slides.

They were learning English through the process of creating.
And the support they got from fellow students—from all over the world—motivated them even more.

Chapter 4: Saying Goodbye, Carrying the Spark

After eight weeks, they graduated from 3D ACADEMY.
They took group photos, hugged teachers, and promised to keep in touch.

They never launched a real product.
There was no app.
No company.

But there was something real:
A deep respect. A shared vision. A sense of what’s possible.

Epilogue: Seeds of the Future

Today, Anya is back in St. Petersburg, working at a digital agency.
Ethan is in Taipei, freelancing in app development.

They still message each other now and then, occasionally sharing ideas.

“We never made anything official,” Anya says. “But our time at 3D reminded us that great things can start from small, shared experiences.”

Their story may be fictional.
But at 3D ACADEMY, stories like this—friendships that lead to creativity, growth, and possibility—happen every day.

Note: This story is a fictional account inspired by real student life at 3D ACADEMY.