Cebuana student, Angela Mancao: Two academic adventures in Yale and Harvard

Angela Mancao spent the summer of 2017 in Yale University as a scholar majoring in Math and Science. |Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two summers, two academic adventures, in two different Ivy League schools in the US. That is one way to sum up the 2017 and 2018 summers of a young Cebuana, Angela Mancao. Mancao, who is a Grade 12 student of St. Theresa’s College-Cebu,  spent 2017 as a scholar of Yale University majoring in Math and Science. “I actually don’t remember how I found Yale, but I think I got an email to apply,” said Mancao. This 18-year-old student completed the scholarship under the Yale Young Global Scholar Program. She said that she was the only Filipino in her class majoring in Math and Science. Dedicated to pursue her passion in Public Management and Governance, on the summer of 2018, Mancao went on another academic adventure and found herself studying Comparative Politics in Harvard University.  “I had classmates in Yale, and they talked about how Harvard had a similar program so I applied too,” said Mancao about her Harvard admission.  So for two summers, Mancao studied in two Ivy League Schools in the United States of America. According to Best College Reviews, Ivy League Schools are the most prestigious colleges in the US. These include Yale University, Harvard University, Brown University and Cornell University, and they are located in the northeastern part of the US.

Angela Mancao is 2019 Young Sugbuanon Exemplary and Action Driven Leader Awardee in the Senior High School Category. The award was given by the Cebu city government during its Charter Day celebrations in February. |Contributed photo

Despite Mancao’s academic achievements abroad, her heart still remains at home. Today, she is advocating sustainable efforts for the environment. Together with a team of students, they have conceptualized Hagit, which is a youth initiative for waste reduction in schools. And she started this initiative in her alma mater, STC. When asked about how she achieved her academic adventures at such a young age, Mancao said that support from her family and friends had helped. But she also attributed her joining academic competitions to shaping her to what she is today. Aside from that, she also described herself as someone who would find joy in learning new things and airing out what she believes in. She said that these were among the things that made her shine academically during her elementary and high school days. “I like to think I’m fun. I can nail a Math test, but at the same time I can talk to you about the Kardashians and the latest fashion trends,” she said. “So, I’m not your typical achiever, you’ll see me cramming for a test because I spent the night binge watching on Netflix. I don’t believe you can truly be just one person. I’m funny and serious, sometimes smart, sometimes stupid,” Mancao told Cebu Daily News Digital. For her academic achievements, including her academic adventures in Yale and Harvard Universities, Mancao was recently awarded as the 2019 Young Sugbuanon Exemplary and Action Driven Leader Award in the Senior High School Category by the Cebu city government during their Charter Day celebrations last February./dbs