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By: Joanna C. Guerrero, Info Officer IV-PGLU | Photos By: Mr Erwin Bautista, PGLU-SP | Date: October 11, 2022
58 out of 107 students hailing from the different municipalities of La Union received their scholarship grants for the first semester of the school year 2022-2023 from Board Member Joy R. Ortega during the Joyful Scholarship Awarding Ceremonies on October 11, 2022 at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Building, Provincial Capitol, City of San Fernando, La Union.
The said scholars were among the thousand applicants who expressed their intent to be shortlisted as one of the 40 Joyful Scholars under the allocation of BM Joy R. Ortega through the La Union Educational Assistance and Scholarship Program (LUESP) under Ordinance 2-93 and 001-2009. However, after careful assessment of all the applicantsβ credentials, BM Ortega felt the need to accommodate more scholars, thus, with the support of her generous family and friends in this worthy cause, scholarship slots were raised from 40 to 107.
βThis is one of the best days of my lifeβso happy to be used by God to make a positive impact on peopleβs lives,β BM Ortega said in her speech after seeing the emotional reactions of students upon receiving their grants. βMake the province proud, you are the future. Pass on the kindness, pay it forward,β she added.
Serving as an inspiration to the scholars, BM Ortega imparted words of wisdom to them. She reiterated the value of education and reminded them to have school-life balance so as to maintain their mental wellness amidst pressure. She also shared about life purpose which is to serve God by serving others. BM Ortega ensured the recipients that they are all deserving of the grant and there was no βfavoritismβ that transpired in the selection process. The scholars were meticulously selected based on their interviews, school average and financial background.
Ms. Jennifer Estacio of the City of San Fernando, a first year Bachelor of Arts in English student from Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, expressed her gratitude with tears of joy to BM Ortega. According to her, the scholarship grant is a big help to her family considering the health condition of her brother who is suffering from Epilepsy. ββ¦mailalaan na ang budget ng family para sa gamot ng kapatid ko at hindi na sa school needs ko,β she said.
Mr. Jimwell Emperador, on the other hand, who is from Agoo, La Union, a freshman student of the Philippine College of Northwestern Luzon, considers BM Ortega as a very significant part of his life because he was also one of the recipients of the Joyful Bikes, a program where BM Ortega distributed 100 bikes to deserving beneficiaries in cooperation with PLDT and Smart Foundation. βKotang-kota na ako sa iyo mam Joy,β expressing, in laymanβs term, his overflowing gratitude for the blessings he received from the programs of BM Ortega. He is amazed of the fact that he is not related or connected to BM Joy by any means and is merely a follower of her FB page, thus, keeping himself updated and actively participating in BM Ortegaβs programs.
Aside from the scholarship grant amounting to 10,000php, BM Ortega gave out personalized Joyful Journals to each scholar with a request that it will serve as their daily companion where they would jot down their daily achievements and blessings. The journal shall also reflect their expenses, whether it was for transportation, food, school supplies or other school-related projects. The purpose of this is to gather data on the top expenditures of students as basis for future programs.
The second batch of scholarship grant distribution is scheduled for December 2022. This will include the 40 scholars under LUESP. All scholars need to maintain at least an average grade of 85% to continue the scholarship next semester where they will be awarded another 10,000php.
BM Ortega said in her Facebook post that she is still on the look-out for more generous people who would like to take part in granting deserving applicants with scholarship funding. According to her, this is one of her ways in supporting Gov. Rafy Ortega-Davidβs call for #LaUnionPROBINSYAnihan which promotes the welfare of the kaprobinsiaan.
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