CABATINGAN
A SCHOLAR of Vicsal Foundation, the corporate foundation of Metro Gaisano, graduated summa cum laude last March 2015.
Miko Cabatingan, 20, did not consider poverty a hindrance to achieving the highest academic distinction.
Cabatingan, who took up Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, is one of the 18 Vicsal scholars who graduated last March 2015.
Cabatingan applied for a scholarship at Vicsal as his father, who only earns a meager income as a rank-and-file employee of Metro Gaisano could not send him to college.
His mother is a homemaker.
When he was in college, Cabatingan was able to save up money on his own for his internship abroad and for his academic projects.
As a leader of a co-curricular organization, it had been a daunting task for Cabatingan to maintain his scholarship and make it to the honor roll.
But through perseverance and determination, he was able to sustain his high marks until the last semester in college.
“You must always remember why you’re there. Remind yourself of the very reason why you study,” Cabatingan said.
Currently, Cabatingan is planning to take the Foreign Service Officer examination and be part of the Foreign Service Corps.