By Renee Cuisia | Special to the BusinessMirror
MORE than 200 SM Foundation scholar graduates celebrated with the Sy Family on June 28.
This year’s batch of graduates includes five summa cum laude, 19 magna cum laude and 39 cum laude graduates from various colleges around the country.
To honor the graduates, SM Group and Foundation executives, including Henry Sr., Felicidad and son Hans Sy, gathered with the families of the graduates a testimonial dinner held at the SMX Convention Center.
Before the dinner, graduates were offered opportunities at a job fair composed of companies under the SM Group.
“Usually graduates avail themselves of these offers, although some opt to enroll in review classes for board examinations, while others may prefer to work in other companies,” the company said in a statement.
In a speech addressing the graduates, SM Corporate Affairs Head Chito Macapagal noted while Southeast Asia is fast becoming one of the biggest regional economies in the world, it is home to many societal and environmental issues that call for sustainable development and action. Macapagal said the company focuses on four of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved over the next 15 years: Sustainable cities and communities, good health and well-being, climate action and quality education. The graduates, products of the company’s education focus, promised to advocate for the SDGs in their respective career paths in an alumni oath-taking that followed.
The scholars specialize in fields, such as information technology, accountancy, computer science, business management, engineering and education. They are part of the 1,300 students the company supported the previous academic year. Students under the SM Foundation’s scholarship program enjoy full-tuition subsidy and a monthly allowance reaching up to P10,000. To qualify, students must come from a public high school with an average grade of at least 88. The family annual income must not exceed P150,000.
This is the SM Foundation’s 20th batch of scholars since 1997. The presentation of its scholars to the patriarch and his family has become an annual tradition since then.