Courtesy: Bryde Ong

Dion Ong, a Filipino student, has graduated summa cum laude from Yale University. 

“I was very fortunate that things turned out better than I imagined,” the 21-year-old told ABS-CBN news. 

Ong scored a perfect GPA of 4.0 when he completed his combined degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Computer Science. He marched with some 4,000 students during Yale’s 323rd Commencement ceremony. 

Ong has been an academic achiever since grade school when he was still in the Philippines, where he studied at the Ateneo de Manila University. 

He said he had been inclined to mathematics and computer science since he was young, which eventually led him to Yale in order to pursue the “most rigorous education possible” in these fields.

“[I] was very fortunate to receive an acceptance letter with a scholarship [from the university],” he added. There, he enjoyed the freedom of choosing courses to specialize based on his interests as long as it complies with the university’s requirements.

‘HARD WORK, DEDICATION’ 

Balancing responsibility is the biggest challenge for Ong during his academic endeavor. He is the captain of their competitive programming team and an undergraduate learning assistant while also juggling his time to hunt for a job.

His programming team delivered Yale its first win at the regional championship and qualified for the world finals. He also got his dream job at a quantitative finance firm in New York City. 

Ong said all of his hardships and sacrifices paid off with the greater things coming back to him tenfold.

“I felt very blessed when I learned that I would graduate summa cum laude at Yale, because this achievement, of course, reflects the hard work and dedication that I devoted to my academics,” he said.

Aside from his unwavering commitment to the Ivy League school's quality of education, Ong's stay at Yale was made worthwhile by the people he met and the activities he took part in, he said. 

“The people that I met at Yale were very diverse,” Ong said.

He said the students he interacted with at the university came from a "variety of backgrounds" and were "quantitative thinkers," and he was grateful for the opportunity of sharing different ideas and perspectives with them.

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Courtesy: Bryde OngTIPS FOR STUDENTS 

Ong advised Filipinos who aspire to pursue education at Yale or other top universities in the US to do their best at their current school and strive to excel in their studies for further credentials, as schools abroad put a high value on academic abilities.

“Pursue a variety of passions that they can highlight in their application,” he said.

The Yale summa cum laude also encouraged students to surround themselves with “well-rounded and multifaceted people” who display leadership, enthusiasm, and a commitment to their community, who can positively motivate them to become better individuals.

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