Uplifting hopeful students on their journey to their dreams, one scholar at a time

As graduation season comes to a close, families and students alike embark on the next great leap forward: college. It is a time of choices, pressure, and hope.

- By Jasmine Tuaño

For many, the question is how to make it happen. In this in-between space of ambition and access, scholarships like those from SM Foundation do not guarantee success, but rather become a support system for those willing to work for it.

Antoine Ramesses Tolentino, or just Ram as he likes to be called, is one of 900 scholars under the SM College Scholarship program for the academic year 2025-2026. What made him deserving of a spot is an inspiring story, one that he hopes will reach incoming college students as well, he said in an interview with Manila Bulletin.

Ram initially wanted to pursue a program related to technology, circuits, and codes. Yet somehow, life had other plans. He embraced them all and now begins his college journey carrying the valuable lessons he gained in senior high school.

From shy and soft-spoken, he grew into a campus leader, a valedictorian, an awardee, and a volunteer. "Back then, I had trouble speaking up," he shares. "Fortunately, I conquered that in senior high school." His time there gave him a new voice, one he's now using to shape his future.