Perseverance and dreams: SM scholars'key to rising above poverty

Youth from underserved communities, like Franz Santos and Kristina Tuazon, are no strangers to challenges.

Franz, who is now a civil engineer, reflects on his journey and shares, "I saw our financial struggles as something I wouldn't let stop me from achieving my dreams. Instead, I used them as motivation to excel."

He remembers he would commute from Rizal to Manila for an average of three hours daily just to get to his class because he couldn't afford to rent a dormitory nearby. He would also eat the same kind of budget meals for days to save for his group projects.

"During those trying times, I held on to two mantras that got me through. In moments when things were getting hard, I just utter to myself, 'This too shall pass and I will succeed for my family,'" he says.

Today, Franz's world is a far cry from his college days, as the SM scholarship paved the way for him to improve his life—even of his sibling.

"When I think of all the countries that I get to travel for research conferences like the US, South Korea and Japan, I always remember that the SM Foundation scholarship opened the doors to these opportunities, and I'm very grateful for them," he muses.