MANILA, Philippines -- Former Ateneo women's volleyball captain Bea de Leon is paying it forward through a scholarship program in her alma mater.

A two-time UAAP champion with the Blue Eagles, de Leon was granted an athletic scholarship while playing for the Ateneo de Manila University. While initially hesitant to accept the grant, de Leon went on to take it with the intention of paying it forward.

De Leon achieved her goal last month as she and her family established the Bea de Leon Scholarship on January 27, with the memorandum of agreement signed with the Loyola Schools.

Fittingly, the first recipient of the scholarship is a fan of de Leon, who was accepted into the Ateneo in April 2022 but did not receive a grant due to the limited number of scholarship slots in the university.

In a tweet, Raphaella Ayen Retuta called Ateneo her "dream school" but lamented that she was unable to secure a scholarship. She also tagged de Leon and Thirdy Ravena, saying "Hope you're proud of me."

wasn't awarded with the scholarship i was aiming for — but glad to know that you want me, ateneo. haay my dream school, in another life 💙

hope u're proud of me 😗 @_beadel @ThirdyRavenaaa pic.twitter.com/OQEnDEbiYe

— ayen (@katorsero) April 25, 2022

The tweet eventually led de Leon to contact Retuta and informed the freshman of her intent to support her collegiate education. Retuta was accepted into the university's BS Management program.

"May you serve to be an inspiration to others to continue working hard in pursuit of their dreams," de Leon said in a congratulatory message to Retuta.

Congratulations @katorsero for being an exemplary student. May you serve to be an inspiration to others to continue working hard in pursuit of their dreams.

Much credit goes to the whole family as well. Dad, Mom, Kuya, may this only be the beginning! 💙 https://t.co/MpHSMzvVB6

— Bea de Leon (@_beadel) February 10, 2023

De Leon was the Finals MVP when Ateneo won the UAAP Season 81 women's volleyball championship. She is currently playing professional volleyball for the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the Premier Volleyball League.

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