The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation opened a P100-million new facility in Laguna which will house its Iskolar ni Juan Tech-Voc Scholarship Program and other future initiatives towards promoting STEM education

For scholar Rica Rose Abellera, she has always dreamed of becoming a mechanical engineer — a dream which she shared with his grandfather who, with her grandmother, stood as her guardian when her father passed away.

Her grandparents were able to put her through senior high school but old age has prevented them from working as hard as before. The 18-year-old dreamer from Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental graduated last March and she would have been able to take a step towards her dream by entering college but her family’s financial circumstances prevented her from doing so.

When her grandfather passed away, Rica’s drive to fulfill her ultimate dream reignited although she cannot turn her back against the needs of her family. Rica is the eldest of four children and is the primary caregiver of her grandmother.

Her aunt offered to fund her college education but she could not afford an engineering course for her. Luckily, her high school teacher told her about the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s Iskolar ni Juan Tech-Voc (INJ) Program, which offers a year-long technical-vocational scholarship with an on-the-job training and employment opportunity in Universal Robina Corp. plants.