BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
THE NEGROS community is rejoicing with the recent news that a Grade 12 student from Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) in Bacolod City has qualified as an academic scholar to the Williams College in Massachusets, USA starting September this year.
He is John Stepher Sabio, 18, and a resident of Barangay Progreso, Binalbagan town in southern Negros.
Who is Stepher? How did he qualify to be a full-time academic scholar at the prestigious Williams College?
I was more than privileged to talk to this graduating senior high school student over the phone on Sunday, March 31. The soft-spoken lad was so eloquent and respectful.
Stepher said he just applied online in different universities and colleges abroad like in the US, Europe and Australia.
It so happened that Williams College was the first to inform him that he was among the chosen ones to qualify from out of the more than 15,000 applicants because of his strong essay, strong grades and strong extracurricular activities.
Williams College offered him a full-ride scholarship covering tuition, housing, meals, books, health insurance, and more for all four years or until 2028.
Quite great.
MEN’S COLLEGE
But what is this Williams College?
Williams College, per the Wikipedia, is a private liberal arts school in Northwestern Massachusetts, USA.
The college was established as a men’s college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was killed in the French and Indian War in 1755.
Another good thing here is that Williams College also supports more than half of all its students through its “all-grant” program.
MATH WIZARD
Stepher graduated valedictorian from Binalbagan Elementary School.
During his junior high at the Special Science Class (SSC) of NOHS, he ranked No. 1 among the honor students.
In 2021, he was crowned champion in an online Philippine International Math Olympiad. Thus, he was dubbed the “Math Wizard” of NOHS.
Confessed Stepher, he really loves anything related to numbers.
Asked what course he wants to take up at Williams College, he answered: Statistics with double major in Computer Science.
DRIVEN
Stepher admitted to being “ambitious”. And topmost among his ambitions is studying in the US, his “American Dream”.
Now that he’s sure to be admitted to Williams College, he said he’ll grab the opportunity sans hesitation.
His parents Marlowe (a hog raiser) and Gina (a public school principal) are, of course, very much willing to support him financially and emotionally with his upcoming journey abroad.
Is he ready to live far away from his family?
Stepher, the youngest in the broad of five, said that since he was 12 years old, he had already started living independently in a dormitory in Bacolod, 55 kilometers away from his loved ones.
He trained himself to be alone and always busy doing wide research on anything related to numbers. That’s why living and studying in America soonest won’t be shocking to this 18-year-old incoming college freshman.
LIVING THE DREAM
For an ordinary boy who came from an ordinary village and struggling much to keep his academic standing always at par, Williams College is an answered prayer. It’s kinda “living the dream” when he was still a little one.
“To be ambitious” ain’t bad for as long as you set your mind to it and work for it.
Sir Anthony Liobet, superintendent for Negros Occidental Schools Division, is right. He said Stepher’s case is an inspiration for others to also dream, study well and achieve their goals.
Liobet said the entire Negros community is so proud of Stepher.
I, too, would like to say that Stepher’s case and his “American Dream” are worthy of emulation.
In life, there’s no harm in dreaming and more so in trying./PN
