From househelp to topnotcher: Julie Pañares makes CEC history

Julie Marcojos Pañares once scrubbed floors and washed dishes to pay for her college education. This June, she made history—placing fifth in the June 2025 Special Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (Elementary) and becoming Cebu Eastern College’s (CEC) first-ever topnotcher.

- Raphael Veloso, CNU Intern/FPL

A 2017 graduate of CEC with a degree in Basic Elementary Education, Pañares was born and raised in Davao. With no financial support from her parents—both unemployed at the time—she moved to Cebu determined to pursue her dreams.

To survive and study, she worked as a household helper. She washed clothes, cleaned rooms, and cared for a home that wasn’t hers, all while juggling the demands of school. Like many struggling students, she faced moments of doubt.

“Gusto na gani ko mo undang ato kay kapoy na jud,” she recalled.

“Mga second year college, gusto na nako mo undang kay dili na nako kaya mo balance sa trabaho ug pag-eskwela.”

One moment especially stayed with her. As she cleaned up after a dog, her employers laughed on the sofa.