| Article Index |
|---|
| Marie Pauline Gianzon Guiuan - Highest Honors |
| Page 2 |
| All Pages |
LAST May 23, during the graduation of around 8,000 students from the San Francisco State University, one pretty Filipina stood out who graduated with the highest honors - summa cum laude. The next day during the Filipino Graduation, a ceremony for the Filipino SFSU 2009 graduates, Marie Pauline Gianzon Guiuan was again honored for being the only Filipina summa cum laude. With a 3.9 grade point average (GPA), Pauline received the highest academic distinction given to those with the highest honors, usually accorded to a very select few belonging to the top 1% of the graduates.
Born on Nov. 5,1983 in Manila, Pauline has been a consistent honor student. She went to OB Montessori Greenhills and the International Christian Academy (ICA) in the Philippines for elementary, where she graduated valedictorian. Pauline went to high school at UP Integrated School (UPIS) where she also graduated with highest honors. Then, she took up Broadcast Communications at the University of the Philippines Diliman for two years. In 2003, Pauline joined her family in California. She went to Glendale Community College from 2004-2006, where she took up Mass Communications, and then went to SFSU from 2007-2009, taking up Bachelor of Arts, major in Journalism, with an emphasis in News/ Editorial writing, and a minor in Humanities.
"I could not have done it without God’s help," Pauline commented on her superior scholastic performance. "Whenever people ask me how I did it, considering that I was a working student and was involved in many extraculicular activities, all I can say is that God has given me the energy, the strength and the wisdom that I needed. While in college, I made sure that I was able to fully experience university life. I was a member of SF State’s Gospel Choir; interned with one of the Filipino organizations on campus-the Pilipino-American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE); performed in two Pilipino Cultural Nights as an actress, singer and dancer; founded and led the first Fil-Am Christian group on campus (called KAPWA) and was the campus features editor for the school newspaper, the [X]press. On top of that, I remained active in church ministries and also worked as an English tutor 15 hours a week. I know it sounds like a lot, but it was all worth it because of the friendships and the experiences," the hard-working new graduate explained.
Pauline’s parents, Paolo and Alma Guiuan, and siblings Paul, Debbie and Stephanie are all truly proud of her achievements. Alma, her mother, shared with Asian Journal her first reaction upon learning of Pauline’s honor. "When I first learned that Pauline is Summa Cum Laude, I was overjoyed and cried. What a wonderful blessing of being a parent to one. In just a few seconds, memories of her childhood and my younger years as a mom flashed before my eyes and how Pauline had always brought joy and pride to our family by bringing excellence to every task entrusted to her," said Alma. "Parents can motivate their children to excel by providing them a nurturing environment for love and learning. When Pauline was a child, I would always uy her one book every time I got my paycheck. I read to her at bedtime and encouraged her to read aloud during family prayer devotions," Alma added.
| Comments |
|
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
