BAGUIO CITY — A graduate of the Philippine Science High School-Cordillera Administrative Region Campus (PSHS-CARC) has secured admission to Harvard University with a full four-year scholarship, highlighting a year of academic achievements for the school's Batch 2026.

Reya Nikole Maryella Maligro Siojo, valedictorian of the batch, ranked first among the 83 graduates who received their diplomas on 19 May 2026. The scholarship package from Harvard covers tuition, housing, living expenses and annual airfare.

Siojo pursued applications to several universities in the United States independently and kept the process private from her family because of the highly competitive admissions process for international students seeking full financial aid. Aside from Harvard, she received an admission offer from Washington and Lee University. She was also waitlisted at Princeton University, the University of Notre Dame and Amherst College.

Her academic opportunities extended beyond the United States. Siojo received offers from Oral Roberts University, National Sun Yat-sen University and De La Salle University. She also qualified for the University of the Philippines' Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) program, an accelerated seven-year track that combines undergraduate and medical studies.

Her achievement came despite personal adversity. Siojo lost her mother in an accident on her seventh birthday. Inspired by her mother's final written message encouraging her children to surpass her accomplishments, Siojo remained focused on her academic goals and pursued her dream of studying in the United States. She is the first member of her family to gain admission to an Ivy League university.

In a social media post, PSHS-CARC also recognized other members of Batch Laharaya who secured undergraduate admissions and prestigious scholarship grants from local and international institutions.

The school, located in Barangay Irisan, Baguio City, said the accomplishments of its graduates reflect the academic excellence and determination that continue to define the institution's students.