Beyond diploma: Angelica Pangilinan continues to reap benefits of SM scholarship
The scholarship became a lifeline for her family.
In 2010, the parents of Angelica Lourdes “Des” N. Pangilinan faced a difficult choice: how to send three children to college at once on limited means. That same year, Des was named one of the Kabayan Ten Outstanding Public School Students of the Philippines and awarded an SM Foundation scholarship, allowing her parents to focus their resources on her younger siblings.
“The scholarship changed more than my life. It helped my parents send all their children to school and gave our family the chance to overcome our financial limitations,” she recalls.
Des worked hard to make the Dean’s List, to prove she was worthy of the support that helped ease her family’s daily needs.
The benefits of the scholarship did not end when Des earned her college diploma. Like other SM scholars, she got the opportunity to build her career at the SM Group. Des joined National University (NU) Philippines Inc. in 2022, initially leading Finance at NU Nazareth School for two years. She is now tax and audit compliance assistant director at the company.
The scholarship became a lifeline for her family. Today, all three siblings of Des have graduated and built their own careers, while she supports her parents.
“It created opportunities for my entire family, improved our living standards, and inspired me to pay forward the kindness and trust that were once extended to me,” she says.
“I now have the privilege of supporting and spending more time with our senior parents. Being there for them after all their sacrifices is something I deeply value,” Des adds.
Des values her work. She wanted to be part of an institution that contributes meaningfully to nation-building through education.
The spirit of paying it forward continues to shape how Des leads. She conducts training sessions for NU’s finance staff, including new team members, sharing the knowledge and guidance she once received as a scholar.
More than four years into her role, Des has no plans to leave.
“I have learned that commitment is not measured by the number of years, but by the purpose that keeps you coming to work every day,” she says. “As long as I am able to make a meaningful contribution to NU, I would be honored to continue serving the University.”
A scholarship does not end with a diploma. For Des, it continues through the family she was able to help, the colleagues she now mentors, and the work she does for others.
Her story began the way thousands of SM scholars’ stories do, with a scholarship, a family counting on her, and years of hard work ahead. This September, SM Foundation will present its newest batch of scholar-graduates at the Presentation of SM College Scholar Graduates 2026, as they begin their own journeys and carry forward the possibilities that education can create.