Public Ad Student Graduates Summa In PUP's Year-End Rites
Lailani Teves, OVPRD News, Publications OfficeAfter 18 years of not granting the highest academic honor to a graduating student, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines bestowed on Mary Grace P. Ronquillo, a Bachelor in Public Administration and Governance graduate, the coveted Summa Cum Laude honors in its year-end commencement exercises held at the World Trade Center on May 4, 2007. The occasion was graced by the Vice President of the Philippines, the Honorable Noli De Castro, as guest speaker.
(Ms. Mary Grace P. Ronquillo)
To be a Summa Cum Laude, a candidate has to have garnered a general weighted average of 1.00 to 1.19 aside from other requirements that he/she must have satisfied. Ronquillo who has consistently been on the President’s List, posted a general weighted average of 1.16. Like most students of the PUP, the Total University that has been instrumental in making possible the dreams of thousands of economically disadvantaged students, this honor graduate comes from a family of modest means. Even while studying, she worked in a speech school and at the Philippine Senate. She had to combine work and studies to help her parents who have been very supportive of her endeavors, whether financial or emotional.
(Ms. Ronquillo during the interview)
Contrary to what most people think, this honor graduate is not a nerd but the girl-next-door who enjoys malling, watching movies, and dreams of a Prince Charming (who is God-fearing, committed, and honest). She differs from her contemporaries in that she is passionate about everything that she pokes her fingers into: reading, proper time management, and focusing on priorities. Procrastinating, cramming, and mediocrity are alien in her vocabulary. She advises her fellow graduates, honor students or not, to rise above mediocrity and to do their share in attaining a common goal—economic progress and political stability for the country. Her formula for success is the adage “One good success erases all failures of the past, and greatness once achieved, however brief, stays with the man or with the nation.”
With her determination, discipline, and faith in God, this valedictorian’s dream of becoming a lawyer is not far-fetched after all. Right now, she is deciding which offer of a scholarship she will accept—that from her alma mater (made by PUP President Dante G. Guevarra) or that from the San Beda Law School (made by its management). Whichever offer she takes will definitely be a step in the right direction!
See Also: Text of Ms. Ronquillo “Valedictory Address”