Kyle Andrew Abello (left) is one of the five Filipino students who have received scholarships to US universities

Five Filipino students from different provinces in the country were recently awarded scholarship grants to some of the most prestigious universities in the United States.

Kyle Andrew Abello, a student from the Philippine Science High School - Eastern Visayas, will soon be attending Princeton University in August after receiving a full-ride scholarship amounting to $366,800. He will be majoring in Engineering. 

Abello plans to come back as a full-fledged civil and environmental engineer and give back to his hometown of Tacloban, Leyte. He was 8 years old when Typhoon Yolanda struck.

"Since I was a Yolanda survivor, I experienced firsthand the environmental degradation that we have… I could help with the Philippines like, typhoon resilient buildings po, because there are a lot of mga bahay na madali lang masira sa typhoon," he said. 

Abello's mother is a public school teacher while his father is a retired fire officer. The family does not have the financial capacity to send him to an Ivy League school, and is grateful that such an opportunity was given to him. Abello was offered scholarship grants from three top universities.

"Nagulat din ako, tatlong university ang kanyang na-scholar siya po… Princeton University, Notre Dame University, at saka Yale University, but pinili niya 'yung Princeton University… Mami-miss ko siya dahil bunso namin siya. Of course, we hope that when he comes back he will serve our country," said Abello's mother, Josephine.

Another student of Philippine Science Highschool, but this time from the Western Visayas Campus, was also selected for a Caroline and Daniel Werther Scholarship and Penn Grant amounting to $361,152. Ellen Faye Ann Yabut from Iloilo City will be attending the University of Pennsylvania for a degree in Biochemistry.

"Actually, one of the biggest plans I have right now is to be a Balik Scientist and would serve the Filipino people through the DOST programs that would also equip the youth, or like be an inspiration to the youth to pursue STEM careers and give back to the community through Science and Technology," she said.

Yabut's parents are both public school teachers. They did not know that their daughter applied for the program.

"Na-surprise lang kami eh... Holy Week 'yun tapos na-open niya 'yung laptop niya and then sabi niya, 'Yeah, nakapasa ako.' 'Yun pala sa UPenn nakapasa. Hindi namin inakala," said Yabut's father, Charlemagne. 

"You have to bring back all the learnings for the Filipino people, alam mo naman 'yan. We're very nationalistic and mahal na mahal namin ang Pilipinas. This is for the Philippines," added her mother, Michelle.

Abello and Yabut are among those who received full-ride scholarships through EducationUSA's College Prep Program (CPP). The scholarship total for all the five students amount to $1,800,000.

The CPP is an 18-month program designed for students who are likely to be awarded financial aid from US colleges and universities and require additional financial resources to cover the upfront costs of applications.

The program prepares the students by providing mentorship, coaching, college preparation assistance, and general skill development. It helps the students prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Test (ACT), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and essay writing for college applications, while providing research on colleges and available scholarships.

Through CPP, the US Embassy in the Philippines also assists program participants with the upfront application costs, such as test preparation materials and fees. CPP participants who enroll in a US college or university will also receive a stipend to offset the costs of their move to the United States.

"The people to people ties including student programs, student exchanges, are absolutely essential to maintaining that trust and understanding so that we can be partners in prosperity and be ironclad allies," said US Ambassador to the Philippines Marykay Carlson.

To qualify, students must be juniors in high school, have an excellent academic transcript, and have a verifiable family income below P1.25 million per year.

Details are available at EducationUSA’s CPP website. The next application season will open in September 2024.