Corporate Social Responsibility Davao Light Distributed Energy

Davao Light Scholars pass board exams

April 04, 2023

Motivated by the drive to achieve their dreams, two scholars of Aboitiz Power Corporation subsidiary, Davao Light and Power Co. Inc, passed their respective board exams after overcoming personal hurdles and the struggle to learn in a virtual setup.

One of the scholars is Leslie Ann Polinar, a Bachelor of Science in Geodetic Engineering graduate from St. John Paul II College.

As her father’s salary as a wheelchair repair technician was not enough to support her through college, Leslie is even more determined to pursue better opportunities when she joins the workforce.

“As a scholar, I received both financial and moral support. They have fully supported my tuition and even gave me an allowance,” Leslie said.

“I remember praying to God back then that I would do anything just to make it through college,” she added. “Since Davao Light and Aboitiz Foundation scholars are required to maintain their grades, it became my motivation to study harder so I can finish my degree.”

She graduated last June 2022 and was studying rigorously for the board exam until her father was hospitalized and had to be operated on due to a kidney complication.

Struggling to make ends meet to pay for her father’s hospital bills, Leslie was considering delaying taking the board exam until her father recovers. However, with the help of relatives and friends, as well as kind strangers who donated when Leslie asked for help via a Facebook post, she was able to take the board exam in time with her father’s discharge from the hospital.

“I was worried I wouldn’t pass the board exam because I wasn’t able to study for a few weeks since my father was hospitalized,” Leslie shared. She was surprised when people started calling her a few days after the exam, congratulating her for passing the boards. She is one of the 602 passers out of the 1,142 exam takers.

Meanwhile, Shanaia Twain Ng graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of the Immaculate Concepcion.

Shanaia received a full scholarship per semester, enough to pay for her tuition fee, books, uniform, and school materials.

Due to the pandemic, Shanaiah was challenged by the shift to virtual classes which continued until her board exam review.

“I only reviewed for three to four months. It was exhausting because I am not an effective learner in an online setup,” she explained.

When asked how she managed to graduate with honors and maintained her grades, Shanaia shared that with hard work, discipline, and time management, she was able to balance her responsibilities in school, church, and home.

When Shanaia took her board exam last September, she was one of the 719 passers out of the 1,114 exam takers.

“We are so blessed that we have been granted this scholarship. We can’t express our gratitude to Davao Light and Aboitiz Foundation enough through words but let our perseverance and dedication to our dreams and goals in life speak our thanks,” Shanaia said.

After passing their respective board exams, Leslie is planning to apply to private agencies, while Shanaiah is planning to explore different career opportunities in nutritional assessment and public health in the field of education and the food service industry.

In support of the fourth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, Davao Light and the Aboitiz Foundation Inc. have helped 127 scholars since 2011. By providing opportunities for education, the Aboitiz Group believes that the benefits will eventually ripple across the scholar’s family, community, and nation across generations.