‘I consider this SM Scholarship a gift to my parents. It became the bridge that made my dream of a college education a reality, despite our financial challenges.’

SM Foundation’s scholarship program now supports its highest number of active scholars to date. Among them are young Filipinos whose scholarships have opened doors to opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach. For Daisyrie Accion of Talikud Island, Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, it opened the door to a college education she had long dreamed of.

The 24-year-old daughter of fisherman and a housewife was taught early, alongside her five siblings, that hard work could take them anywhere. She became a consistent honor student from elementary through high school.

Alongside her academic excellence, Accion developed discipline, focus and a sense of responsibility, qualities that would serve her well as an SM scholar.

“I consider this SM Scholarship a gift to my parents. It became the bridge that made my dream of a college education a reality, despite our financial challenges,” Accion said, adding that it also helped hone her skills, form a stronger circle of friends, and grow into roles of leadership and responsibility.

Accion earned a BS Accountancy degree from the University of Mindanao, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

For Accion, the scholarship offered more than financial support. She said gatherings with fellow scholars strengthened their connections while encouraging grit, perseverance, and hard work in pursuing their goals.

Like Accion, Shynne Grace Montejo, the eldest of six children of a construction worker and housewife from Baungon, Bukidnon, knows too well her parents’ sacrifices just to get her to the classroom. So when she earned scholarships in high school, the 23-year-old did not let the opportunity go to waste.

Montejo initially planned to forgo college and seek immediate employment to support her siblings, but the SM scholarship changed that plan, giving her the opportunity to pursue and earn a BS in Management Accounting from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan.

“Being a scholar for much of my life taught me to be grateful and responsible. I learned not to take opportunities for granted,” she said. “To me, being an SM scholar means carrying the responsibility of proving that investing in the youth can create a lasting impact.’

“I learned to balance academics with leadership and responsibilities in our community,” she said referring to her service as treasurer of her town’s Sangguniang Kabataan.

With her accounting degree in hand, Montejo is now moving closer to the dreams she has long held for herself and her family.

Montejo said she wants to build a successful, stable career, not just for herself, but to help her family and give her younger siblings opportunities she didn’t have. “I want to reach a point where my family has greater financial security and where I can encourage my siblings to pursue their dreams without worrying as much about whether we can afford them,” she said.

Having seen firsthand how much an opportunity can change a person’s life, Montejo hopes the impact of her scholarship will go beyond her own story. “I want the impact of the scholarship to go beyond me. SM Foundation helped me reach a goal that might have been much more difficult without support. I hope that someday, I can pay it forward.”

Accion is now working as a tax associate of a private company in Davao del Norte, while Montejo works in the sales department of a resort in Siquijor.

Their journeys from families that struggled to afford their education to young professionals beginning their careers reflect the possibilities that education can create.

Accion and Montejo are among the 274 scholar-graduates of SM Foundation’s 2026 graduating class. The class includes 15 Summa Cum Laude, 42 Magna Cum Laude, 46 Cum Laude, and 16 academic distinction awardees.

Their paths may be taking them in different directions, but both are now building the futures they once could only imagine.