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Award selection reveals tomorrow’s leaders today

Patricia T. Pintac sees the future, and it looks good.

For her country, she envisions a future “brimming with hope, happiness, and opportunities”—a time “when a child can proudly proclaim, ‘I am Filipino!’”

Panelists, including a Cebu Kiwanis club representative, interview a student with questions about current events, family, achievements, or “anything under the sun.” The interview accounts for 30 percent of each student’s total score.

For herself, she sees a college degree. To achieve that goal, she already has assembled an impressive high school résumé of honors and awards, including her selection in the distinguished company of the “10 Most Outstanding High School Students” of the Cebu province.

Jointly sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cebu, Rhine Marketing Corporation, and the Philippine Department of Education, Region VII, the award program draws more than 250 applications from the province’s 30 high schools. To qualify, the students must be in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. But that’s just the beginning.

Each student takes a 2½-hour written examination, covering math, English, science, Filipino language, and general information. The top 30 test scores advance to the next round, a 15-minute interview with a panel of judges.

Panelists rate each candidate based on creativity, judgment and reasoning, emotional stability and self-confidence, and alertness. The final phase is a two-hour period for writing a 500-word essay.

Trophies, Rhine Marketing scholarships, mentoring, and internships await the winners. Add to that list the honor of associating with fellow recipients and being recognized among a distinguished list of the Philippines’ emerging generation of young leaders.

“Being an awardee and a Rhine scholar, one is immersed (in) a culture of excellence composed of individuals who continuously make impacts (on) society,” wrote University of the Philippines graduate Bryan Albert T. Lim, reflecting on his selection a few years ago. That’s when his future was just beginning to blossom as one of the Top 10 Outstanding High School Students of Cebu.