2025 DOST-SEI Scholars Leadership Camp

When I received the invitation from DOST-SEI to speak at the Scholars Leadership Camp, it felt surreal. I still remember being on the other side of those events: quiet, unsure, but quietly hopeful. This time, I was being asked to share my story alongside inspiring educators like Mr. Mirveen Cabesay (Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT) Top 1, 2023 — Bachelor of Secondary Education) and Mr. Rene Boy Remando (Special Science Teacher I of DepEd), and to be interviewed by none other than Professor Xiao Chua (Historian, De La Salle University).

Group picture along with the fellow invited speakers and Professor Chua.

Held in Davao City, the camp brought together 100 undergraduate scholars from Region XI. It was more than just a workshop or a camp. It was a space for reflection, connection, and being reminded of what it means to be a “Filipino Patriot Scholar.”

This is all of us along with the scholars.

In our interview, I shared a bit about my journey, a young girl, trained in mathematics, now working as a software engineer. I talked about the struggles that came after graduation, the small wins that eventually led to bigger ones, and how I’m still learning to serve in ways that feel true and meaningful.

It was an honor to speak, but even more than that, it was grounding. Being in that room reminded me that DOST-SEI didn’t just support my education, it shaped how I show up in the world. I’m grateful I got to pay it forward in the way I know best: through story.

And of course, huge thanks for the swag kit!