On September 8, 2025, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) officially inaugurated its 2025/26 academic year, welcoming a whole host of new students into the institute, ready to gain the skills and knowledge they need to be the tech industry leaders of tomorrow.
Faculty members, guest speakers from around the world, and hundreds of students from over 100 nations were all in attendance at the online inauguration event. Among them was one new student on the MSc in Responsible AI program: Rem Lampa, also known by his online alias, Kuya Dev.
A Filipino podcaster, speaker, and developer, Kuya Dev documented the inauguration experience in a YouTube video, sharing his thoughts on the event. Here’s a detailed look at his experience, showing the welcoming and effective way in which new OPIT students are brought into the institute from the first day.
An Overview of the Inauguration Event
The latest OPIT inauguration event was one to remember, with the institute celebrating several notable milestones. These included the first graduation of the MSc in Applied Data Science and AI program, and the unveiling of new industry connections and corporate partners offering opportunities for graduates.
Various guest speakers were in attendance, including the former Italian Minister of Education and current OPIT Rector, Professor Francesco Profumo, plus the CEO of Malta’s accreditation authority MFHEA, Dr. Rose Anne Cuschieri.
OPIT founder, Riccardo Ocleppo, also took to the stage to highlight the transformative role of education and the unique possibilities offered by the online-only OPIT degrees, stating:
“When we launched OPIT in 2022, we wanted to prove that an online degree could be rigorous, international, deeply connected to the world of work, and engaging. Three years later, we can already see results. This year alone, 300 new students are joining us, representing 98 nationalities.”
Those hundreds of new students were also, naturally, in attendance for their big inauguration day, welcomed into the institute’s various BSc and MSc programs in specialties like Computer Science, Digital Business, Digital Business and Innovation, and Cybersecurity.
Introducing Rem ‘Kuya Dev’ Lampa
As mentioned, one of the new students joining was vlogger and podcaster, Kuya Dev.
Already boasting extensive experience and technical expertise in the computing world, Kuya Dev has founded several tech communities, including Tech Career Shifter Philippines and Server-Side JavaScript.
He describes himself as an advocate for responsible AI and tech practices, and once gave a powerful TEDx talk about the negative potential impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), including its large carbon footprint and involving exploitation of workers in emerging nations. So, it was only fitting that he signed up for OPIT’s MSc in Responsible AI.
The MSc in Responsible AI Program
A postgraduate program lasting three or four terms (between 12 and 24 months, total), OPIT’s MSc in Responsible AI is an accredited program that combines technical skills with a core focus on the ethical implications of AI technology.
It explores real-world use cases of AI and ways in which this exciting and powerful technology can be used responsibly and sustainably, emphasizing its potential for both positive and negative change in areas such as the environment and society as a whole.
Students of this program enjoy all the usual benefits that come with studying at OPIT, like flexible-paced learning, tutors available on a daily basis, a dynamic and engaging online learning environment, and fair, progressive assessments over time.
Those who graduate can move into careers in AI Application Development, AI Research, and AI Business Consulting.
Highlights and Impressions of Kuya Dev’s Inauguration Experience
Inauguration is always a special moment in any student’s academic journey as they take their first tentative yet exciting steps towards new knowledge and skills that can unlock their potential and accelerate their development.
It can even be a “make-or-break” moment in which students can either feel welcomed, empowered, and eager to begin their studies, or, conversely, experience feelings of worry, doubt, or regret if the inauguration lacks the spark they were hoping to feel.
Fortunately, Kuya Dev and his many fellow new OPIT students had a very positive experience at the inauguration event, with the vlogger calling it both “very fruitful” and “very insightful.” Some of the specific highlights he mentioned included:
An International Community
Early in the inauguration event, Kuya Dev heard from Professor Francesco Profumo about how OPIT was welcoming students from over 90 countries.
This, for Kuya Dev and for so many other students, is one of the big perks of studying with OPIT. It allows students to meet, engage, and exchange with people from dozens of different backgrounds, cultures, and communities, learning new ways of thinking and collaborating.
Real World Applications
The OPIT inauguration also focused on another of the university’s key features: a focus not merely on imparting knowledge to students or making them memorize facts, figures, and theorems, but actually teaching them how to apply that knowledge and ideas to real-world uses.
Kuya Dev commented on how other universities that he had considered attending appeared more conventional and limited in their approach, and also shared his excitement and enthusiasm at OPIT’s unique approach, focusing more on genuine industry collaboration and real-life scenarios.
Inspiring Speakers
The vlogger and podcaster also commented on the various key speakers who hosted the event. He was pleased to see that they were not only academically oriented but also all had real-world experience and a diverse range of working backgrounds in fields like politics.
This, too, is part of what makes OPIT different. It features a winning team of international tutors, professors, and experts from diverse fields, including the aforementioned former Italian Education Minister, education executives, research chairs, digital content creation specialists, and more.
Graduate Experiences
Finally, Kuya Dev noted how several OPIT graduates spoke to those about to follow the same path they did, including students from nations as diverse as the U.S., Italy, and Nigeria.
They all shared their experiences and detailed what they enjoyed most about studying with OPIT, including key factors such as professors who took the time to get to know their students, as well as the depth of the topics and knowledge covered in each course.
A Successful First Step Into OPIT Education
All in all, the recent inauguration event was a major success for all involved, giving students like Kuya Dev the ideal introduction to life and study with OPIT. He, like so many of his new fellow students, left the event eager and excited to expand their knowledge and broaden their horizons in unique ways that only OPIT can provide.
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