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One hundred more underprivileged but deserving high school
graduates can now pursue their college education under the SM
Foundation Scholarship Program as the Foundation increases its 500
scholarship slots to 600. Aside from the regular college courses,
the Foundation will likewise increase its scholars taking vocational
courses in Don Bosco and the Punlaan School.
Likewise, as 101 of the Foundation’s scholars
get their degrees during graduation exercises during the months of
March and April, 101 applicants for scholarship are being
screened and processed to fill in the slots. According to Carmen
Linda Atayde, executive Director for Education of the SM Foundation,
the increase in the scholarship slots will be done gradually until
the desired 1,000 scholars per school year is attained. This was
announced by the Sy patriarch during the 50th year celebration of
SM. The increase in the number of scholarship grantees for the
coming school year is being pursued by SM Foundation with the
additional funding it received from SM Group of Companies. The
increased allocation is SM business conglomerate’s way of giving
back to the people the goodwill it has received through the 50 years
of its operation.
The SM Foundation Scholarship Program was
conceived in 1993 to help high school graduates who have no means to
pursue tertiary education. Thus far, 872 grantees have graduated and
with the 101 more who will be graduating soon, the scholarship
program would have assisted 973 individuals earn their degree. Last
year, 74 scholars of the Foundation graduated from schools
nationwide and of these, three graduated with a degree in
accountancy summa cum laude, two were magna cum laude, 11 were cum
laude while one graduated as an academic awardee. Two of the
scholars became CPA Board topnotchers and are employed in the
country’s top accountancy firms. All other graduates are now
similarly employed in various SM companies and other multinational
companies here and abroad.
The scholarship program is carried out with SM
Foundation’s partner schools in Manila, Pampanga, Baguio City,
Batangas, Quezon, Cavite, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan de Oro
City.
Scholars are enrolled in courses that lead to
degrees in computer science, information technology, information
management, computer engineering, electronics and communications
engineering, elementary and secondary education, and accountancy.
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