Maria Charisma Estrella (PSHS Calabarzon Region Campus)

Maria Charisma Estrella was announced as the first student from PSHS that secured offers in top universities abroad. New York University, one of the most sought-after universities in the US, offered her admission to their dual degree program in BS Biology and BS Biomolecular Engineering with a scholarship grant. Yale – NUS College, one of Singapore’s first liberal arts colleges, offered her admission with an inclined interest towards Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

How did she bag these offers? Estrella shares her journey in an interview with ABS-CBN News. She said someone encouraged her to submit college applications for universities abroad. She underwent interviews, submitted essays, and sent documents. Estrella also shared that she never expected to get in since “it’s a matter of win or lose situation.”

Estrella’s motivation to pursue her dream degree is started when her sister had leukemia years back. Thankfully, she was cured, but that piqued Estrella’s interest in studying molecular biology. She also mentions “the lack of proper healthcare in remote areas across our country” motivates her to someday assist in these areas.

According to GMA News, Estrella is yet to decide on which school she’ll be attending.

Dominic R. Navarro (PSHS Ilocos Region Campus)

Dominic R. Navarro’s admission offers from European and American universities were another cause of celebration for PSHS.

Jacobs University in Germany offered him a scholarship grant and admission to their BS Mathematics program. Bentley University in the USA gave him a slot on the Provost Scholarship given to graduating students with outstanding academic records and admission to their BS Actuarial Science program. Last but not least, the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA is offering him direct admission to the BBA Actuarial Science program of the Wisconsin School of Business.

As of writing, there is no news yet on which university Navarro will be accepting.

Nathan Wayne F. Ariston (PSHS Central Mindanao Campus)

Nathan Wayne Ariston is the third student PSHS proudly announced to have offers from multiple top universities. He has an amazing 4 admission offers with majors in Physics and Mathematics.

PSHS shares that Ariston chose to study in the private Ivy League research university, Yale University in Connecticut, where he will major in Physics. The full-ride scholarship grant will cover all his yearly costs of attendance.

This isn’t the first time Ariston made Filipinos proud thanks to his intelligence. In 2020, he won the silver medal in the International Earth Science Olympiad held virtually from Daegu, South Korea. He also won the bronze medal for the 2020 International Chemistry Olympiad, also done virtually, from Istanbul, Turkey.

Ariston shares with PSHS that his upbringing as the son of a farmer and a teacher brought science and technology closer to his heart.

“The best way that I could give back to our country is through offering my soon-to-be expertise in STEM that I could acquire through this education grant to serve in whatever way I can the people immediately around, specifically in Maguindanao and the other Muslim Mindanao areas,” he said in a statement from PSHS.

Edrian Paul S. Liao (PSHS Cagayan Valley Campus)

Edrian Liao is a consistent honor student for the past four years. No wonder two prestigious private research universities offered him a slot for this upcoming semester: Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany.

He ultimately chose Duke and is now fully enrolled at the university. He plans on majoring in Mechanical Engineering, pursuing a certificate in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Computer Science.

Liao is one of the 11 recipients of Duke University’s Karsh International Scholarship Program, a merit-based full scholarship for international students. He also makes history as the first Filipino recipient of this program.

The scholarship grant covers the costs for his tuition, housing, meal, and mandatory fees, all for eight semesters. In other words, over $82,000 in yearly expenses are covered. He also gets access to “Karsh Scholarship-specific research and special project funding during both the academic year and summer.”

Liao’s motivation to study Aerospace Engineering stems from watching his father, a framer in Isabela. He has witnessed their hardships during harsh weather and their low income. “That is why as an aspiring aerospace engineer, I also want to provide farmers with microsatellites that could potentially aid in minimizing the harsh effects of these different phenomena. At least for this issue, I could be able to help and uplift the millions of farmers in the Philippines,” said Liao in a statement.

In the future, he also shares he would love to work for the newly-established Philippine Space Agency. Liao is set to fly for the US in August.

Mary Catherine Therese (PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus)

And the streak of PSHS students getting accepted in universities abroad continues. PSHS announced on Thursday, May 27, that four more of their graduates (all from the Southern Mindanao Campus) had been extended offers to different international universities. Mary Catherine Therese Lemana is one of them.

The New York University – Shanghai in China awarded her scholarship grants. NYU Shanghai is both a liberal arts college and a great research university. It’s China’s first Sino-US research university and a satellite campus of NYU in the USA.

Kaye Richelle Duarte (PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus)

Kaye Richelle Duarte from Southern Mindanao received offers from two international universities. Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, awarded her a Provost Scholarship granted only to high school graduates with outstanding academic records. The university is also offering her admission to their Neuroscience program. NYU’s satellite university, NYU – Shanghai, is also offering Duarte admission to their Neuroscience program with a full scholarship.

Jeris Grace Gonzales (PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus)

Jeris Grace Gonzales is another PSHS graduate from the Southern Mindanao Campus whose academic excellence secured her spots in universities abroad. Both University of Florida and New Jersey Institute of Technology are public research universities, while Rutgers University – New Brunswick is one of the leading national research universities in New Jersey. All three universities offered Gonzales scholarship grants and admission to their Biomedical Engineering program.

Jysel Ashley Ayop (PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus)

Jeysel Ashley Ayop has amazing admission offers in four universities. The National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan is a research university that offered her a scholarship in tuition fee and stipend and admission to their Engineering Technology prgram. Jacobs University Bremen in Germany awarded her a Jacobs at Ease Financial Aid Award and offered admission to their Industrial Engineering program. Meanwhile, private Massachusetts university Bentley University granted Ayop admission in their Actuarial Science program. Last but not least, private uni Rangsit University in Thailand is offering her admission to their Information and Communication Technology program.

Raphael David B. Condor (PSHS Central Visayas Campus)

Raphael David B. Condor is the latest addition to PSHS’s stellar lineup of 2021 graduates. He has offers from five (!) universities, the most number of universities out of all nine PSHS students.

The University of California in Berkeley is a public research university offering Condor a degree in BS Bioengineering. The University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Engineering is offering him a Chancellor’s Award. Condor also got offers from the University of Sydney, an Australian public research university, to join their BS Biomedical Engineering program. King’s College in London and Trinity College in Dublin, both research universities, are both offering him International Foundation Programmes in Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics.

Congratulations, new grads! To the rest of us still in school, this is a sign: mag-aral ka na.