Three Filipinas have been announced recipients of the Women in STEM scholarships awarded under The ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls' Education (SAGE) Programme and the British Council Women in STEM Scholarships.

Both scholarship programs seek to address gender disparities in access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

Maria Andrea Kristina Onglao has received a scholarship from the Imperial College London for MSc Environmental Data Science and Machine Learning.

Mikaela Gail Santos and Laravill Lanohan have been named scholars of the University of Bath for their MSc Biotechnology (Healthcare Biotechnologies) and MSc Biotechnology (Sustainable Biotechnologies), respectively.

Onglao, Santos, and Lanohan were among the 24 women awarded across the Southeast Asia.

According to the World Economic Forum, women account for only 29.2 percent of the global STEM workforce.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme is the United Kingdom's flagship education program in the Southeast Asian region, aiming to improve foundational learning outcomes in basic literacy and numeracy, supporting girls and marginalized groups to access education, and breaking down gender barriers to digital skills and employment, thus empowering young women to reach their full potential.

In its fourth year, the British Council Women in STEM Scholarships program offers over 100 scholarships worldwide and enables recipients to pursue a master’s degree or an Early Academic Fellowship at a United Kingdom university, providing them with the opportunity to further develop their careers in STEM fields.

For both the ASEAN-UK SAGE and the British Council Women in STEM programs, each recipient will receive a fully funded opportunity to complete a master’s degree at prestigious universities in the United Kingdom.

They will begin their studies in September 2024.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE and the British Council Women in STEM Scholarships program will reopen in January 2025.