Ryan's Pinoy heart

Another Pinoy youth sticks in a feather to the Filipino cap.

Gil Adrian "Ryan" Estenzo Torres, 17 years old, graduated class valedictorian at the International School Bangkok in Thailand, topping 150 students last June 6 with a grade point average of 4.28 - being the first Filipino student at ISB to have earned such distinction.

A scholarship grant from the Stanford University in Palo Alto, California dangles before Ryan when he comes to the United States to pursue an engineering course in September.

Apart from Stanford, Ryan was also accepted at the Brown University, a member of the Ivy League. He is also waitlisted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ryan was also the recipient of three other awards aside from clinching the Honor Roll. These were the Student Council Leadership Award, Computer Science Award, and Mathematics Award.

But apart from these awards, what inspired me to talk of his achievement was the fact that though he spent seven years in Bangkok - a major commercial and transportation hub in Asia, and was exposed to the cultures not just of the Thai people, but also of different nationalities - his heart remained proud of being Pinoy.

Learning that his sojourn to Thailand has not diminished his affinity for anything Filipino touches me deeply. Unlike many teenagers today, Ryan loves the Filipino culture with a passion. He attends school events in a Barong Tagalog. He loves the gag show Bubble Gang, listens to Pinoy music, watches Pinoy movies, and eats Pinoy food. He takes pride in patronizing Jollibee - a Pinoy entrepreneurial wonder.

Ryan is a rare find in his already corrupt generation!

His parents, Gil Torres and Elisa Estenzo, sent an excerpt of Ryan's thoughts in answer to essay questions on his application to Stanford University. The answers not just reflective of his intelligence and hard work. His generous and loving heart - with emphasis on filial love - are showing through. Read on:

"Hi there! My name is Ryan. I look forward to a semester of fun, learning and sharing of ideas and experiences with you. There will be a lot of opportunities for these, I'm sure. Most of the time, you will see me study a lot and work hard at my assignments and other school responsibilities. I'm a very conscientious student. I drive for excellence in whatever work I do. But, it doesn't mean to say that I am a nerd - I do know how to enjoy life and to have fun as well.

"There may be times I could get overbearing and bossy. Please don't take it seriously. It is just a remnant from my experience organizing a regional Southeast Asian International Leadership Conference. As the lead organizer, it has been one of the biggest undertakings of my life that I thoroughly enjoyed. My dad always told me that a good leader is one who knows how to pass down the work to someone else and get it done, anyway. Being able to delegate work on other people and telling them that 150 people would be relying on their output, and making sure that they actually stayed on task, was a very fulfilling job."

When Ryan was asked, "A picture is worth a thousand words, as the adage goes. Select a photograph no larger than 5x7 inches that represents something important to you, and explain its significance", his answer was: "This is Gil Ellis "Lyle" Torres, my next and youngest sibling. There are three boys in my family - Justin, 19, is a college freshman; Ryan (me) at 17 and Lyle, 5 years old and a kindergarten pupil in Bangkok. Twelve years below my years, Lyle was a latecomer, but he has been one of the greatest things that happened to my life. His charm never ceases to make people smile even at their worst moments.

"His coming was a surprising yet joyful event for my family. I was the youngest child for the longest time but when Lyle came into the world, I embraced him with love and care, harboring no feelings of resentment or jealousy. I didn't watch TV for many weeks; instead, I used the time to learn how to take care of an infant - feeding him, changing diapers and knowing how to appease him when he cries.

"My fondness for children gradually developed from this nurturing experience. I was enticed to join volunteer work at the Pakkret Orphanage Babies Home and the adjacent Baan Rachawadee Home for the Physically and Mentally Disabled. I discovered that I had a talent of knowing how to relate with children. Interacting with them and seeing the disadvantaged children respond gave me so much joy. I have been doing this volunteer work for the last six years.

"Looking into the future, Lyle's importance to me is immeasurable. He is one of the reasons I pursue excellence in all the things I do. As an older brother, I know I have the obligation to return the favor to my parents. Due to my parents' becoming older, and Lyle still in his early years, my family has agreed to divide up the responsibility of sending him to school. The eldest brother will take care of his High School education while I take care of his University education. Sending my youngest brother through university is a great challenge and responsibility that I take seriously. This is a very specific goal in my life that I intend to pursue.

"Today, I watch my brother grow. At five years, he is learning how to read and how to add and subtract numbers. He likes to use new words like "actually" or "definitely". He is quick to pick up on new ideas that he thinks would make him appear more intelligent. I know he will have a great future. Who knows, he will be the next one to follow me to Stanford! Seeing him graduate with a degree would be the greatest reward of my life!"