MANILA, Philippines - The Metrobank Foundation celebrated the graduation of its Class 2010 scholars recently with the annual Graduates’ Forum held at the Metrobank Plaza in Makati City.
The Graduates’ Forum is an annual assembly of the Foundation’s graduate scholars where they get to meet and interact with their fellow scholars as well as their benefactors. The event also allows the Foundation to hear the graduates’ plans for the future, particularly how they intend to give back the gift of education that the Foundation provided them.
This year, 56 scholars graduated from the various scholarship programs in partner schools nationwide. Out of the 56 graduates, 28 graduated with honors led by three magna cum laudes and 25 cum laudes.
Aside from covering tuition and allowances, the Founda-tion’s College Scholarship Program also encourages its scholars to embrace social responsibility for their respective communities by encouraging them to participate in community projects that benefit the less fortunate.
“The Metrobank Founda-tion has always affirmed the critical role of the Filipino youth in nation-building, not only harnessing their potentials by giving them opportunities to have high quality education but also instilling in them the importance of giving back to society,” said president Aniceto Sobrepeña.
One of the highlights of the Graduates’ Forum was the session entitled, “Sharing of Insights and Experiences on Social Responsibility,” during which invited speakers talked about their experiences on social responsibility to inspire the graduates to contextualize their unfolding professional lives, guide them towards the fulfillment of their careers while heightening their inclination to serve their countrymen.
This year, multi-awarded broadcast journalist Karen Davila inspired the scholars with her life story and shared with them some of her memorable experiences.
“Poverty is not a hindrance to success. It is never an obstacle, but rather it serves as a refinement. We are like gold. It goes through the fire and the hotter the fire is, the better the gold will be. And that’s the way we are. It is not a mistake that you are sitting here, graduating as Metrobank Foundation scholars. It is God’s blessing to you, and it is for you to use as you move on from here and pursue your dreams,” Davila said.
Delivering the response on behalf of Class 2010 scholars, Mark Anthony Tolentino highlighted the importance of sharing the gift of education. “Let us not stop with our own excellence; it is our turn now to help others to be excellent. We inherit from the Metrobank Foundation a rich tradition of excellence that we are all proud of. But at the same time, let us not forget that we also inherit a rich tradition of helping, giving, and sharing with others,” said Mark, who graduated s with a degree in Applied Math in Computational Science from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Since 1995, the Metrobank College Scholarship Program has produced a total of 777 graduates, more than 500 of whom are now licensed professionals and about 700 scholar-graduates are working in some of the country’s top corporations. This year serves as a milestone for the program as it celebrates the formal closing of two scholarship programs of the Foundation – Metrobank ACCESS (Assistance for the Completion of College Education for Superior Students) and GRACE (Grants in Aid of College Education) to give way for another program in education that will better serve the most number of beneficiaries.