College scholarship is not simply an opportunity to obtain higher education at minimal or no cost to the student. Aboitiz Foundation’s scholarship program, as its name implies, is designed to produce the country’s next leaders.

When then Lipa City High School senior Jason Yabut applied for an Aboitiz Future Leaders (AFL) scholarship online, he was among the top 20 applicants and qualified for the interview, the last stage for the stringent selection process of 10 AFL recipients per academic year. He recalls seeing his name in the top 10 list that was later posted on the Aboitiz Foundation Facebook page and got an email from the CSR arm of the Aboitiz Group informing that he got in in August 2022.

The AFL offers scholarship on STEM-related courses, engineering, IT and Technology and Data Science in the country’s premier schools. Yabut, 21, took up BS Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and is now in his fourth year of the course this August.

Another AFL scholar is Julia Mendiola, 22, a graduate of City of Mandaluyong Science High School and now a graduating BS Management Engineering student at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).

Scholarships are very helpful to beneficiaries and their families.

“Not having to deal with college tuition has greatly helped my family as I have a twin brother going to college at the same time,” says Mendiola, from AFL Batch 2021. ”With the monthly allowance provided to us, I have been able to give back to my family and help with paying my own bills for my dorm.”

Says Yabut, “Aboitiz provides a decent amount of allowance which helps me relieve financial problems in college which then allows me to focus more on my academics and personal growth.”

He adds, “Aboitiz truly cares for their scholars and also provides extra financial grants such as the incentive for incoming third year scholars when they maintain a 1.50 semestral GWAs or higher since their first ever semester in college.”

Of course, scholars expect a decent work when they graduate. Becoming a full-pledged mechanical engineer, according to Yabut, will be a big help for his family, especially for his parents who no longer work.

Mendiola plans to enter the corporate world and specialize in marketing and sales. She also has the option of getting another career as the versatile engineering program of ADMU prepares students to work in many different fields and industries, like supply chain, data analytics, marketing, finance, operations and more, according to Mendiola.

The benefits of AFL are more than just quality education and decent jobs though. It also promotes nation-building.

“I aspire to help in advancing renewable energy technologies such as solar power, geothermal power, and nuclear fusion. I hope to use all my efforts to help in decarbonizing the national grid and then focus as well in foreign grids,” he says. “I am passionate about transportation which is why I would also like to help in advancing cleaner modes of aviation and shipping vehicles such as those powered solely by electricity or using sustainable fuels.”

Yabut adds, “I aspire to strive for higher ranks at work for my personal growth and then focus as well on building a business that is related to my degree program. I have a relatively detailed plan for my career, and I hope and pray that the odds will be in my favor.”

The AFL has its ways of making the scholars succeed. It requires them to maintain high grades. “While the pressure can be felt, I usually like the motivation because it helps me focus on my goals which I know will surely benefit me in the long term,” he says.

Yabut also mentions the AFL learning sessions, such as power plant visits. He says it was a fulfilling experience to see how they work, the physical part of it, instead of just learning about it in books.

“The scholarship has given me great work experiences as well through the internship opportunities they provide us,” says Mendiola. “This has allowed me to get a glimpse of the real corporate world while I was still a student, which helped me better shape my opinions on possible future career moves.”

Mendiola interned at the foundation and the techglomerate’s holding company, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, where she helped with its risk management team on mostly environmental risk research.

This early, the leadership potentials of the two scholars are evident.

Helping Mendiola earn the scholarship in the first place was sharing through TikTok her journey as a scholar.

“I made a vlog talking about the Aboitiz scholarship which went viral with over two million views and 200,000 likes. This helped spread awareness on the scholarship which led to thousands more applications. In my two years so far of promoting the scholarship on my platform, many have thanked me for introducing them to it and helping them apply, giving them tips for the interview. There is no greater compliment than being able to share the opportunity of quality education to fellow driven students like me,” she says.

Mendiola and Yabut were among AFL scholars who volunteered to paint murals during the Brigada Eskwela 2025 for the Tandang Sora Elementary School in Quezon City that Aboitiz Foundation sponsored last 7 June.

“Being able to make a small change by brightening up the elementary school’s stair walls will hopefully encourage the children to learn and enjoy learning. Being able to give back to the community, especially by contributing to an education-related initiative, will always feel like a full-circle moment to me as a scholar,” says Mendiola.

“Teamwork and effective collaboration are crucial values I was able to enrich during the mural painting. As we designate certain colors to each person, wait for our turn and maximize the limited space we have while also balancing time constraints and making the experience fun, it is a great exercise of leadership and cooperation,” according to Yabut.

“To become an effective student in this highly globalized world, collaborating with people coming from different fields will be very helpful, if not crucial for success. This also helps support the idea of us becoming future leaders, and I am sure that the mural painting is a significant step towards becoming one,” he adds. WJG