One UPV is proud to support this big dreamer

Edmar Bandoja is very grateful for the One UPV scholarship. The fresh magna cum laude accountancy graduate from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas was able to purchase all his textbooks and a new computer to help him in his research.

Edmar, who hails from Tibiao, Antique, graduated valedictorian of his high school class in 2015. He was a UPV College Scholar during his freshman year and a UPV University Scholar during his freshman and sophomore years.

Prior to receiving the One UPV scholarship, Edmar needed to work to earn extra cash to afford his textbooks and other required materials. “Being an Accountancy student requires hard work and perseverance,” said Edmar. “The academic requirements increase as the year goes by. I plan to work at a banking firm as soon as I graduate and pass the board exam. I also plan to continue my studies and pursue Law after I finish the Accountancy course.” The One UPV scholarship has allowed him to focus more on his studies.

"For one accounting subject, we had to use eight books. Because of the program, I was able to buy them all,” recalls Edmar. “I was also able to buy a mini laptop, which I used for research projects and to access PDF versions of accounting books.”

Beyond that, Edmar acknowledges that the scholarship truly helped him and his family. “Without the scholarship, I would fully depend on my parents and some of my relatives for my school expenses. Sometimes, I had to work for my relatives to earn an allowance. Because of the monthly scholarship, I didn’t have to worry about my daily expenses and could focus more on my studies.”

You too can support big dreamers like Edmar. Learn more here.