Answered prayer
Mrs. Cayco still remembers that fateful day when she learned that Kollin had qualified for the AFLP scholarship.
For Malou and Wilbert Cayco, the Aboitiz Foundation scholarship earned by their daughter, Kollin Kate Cayco, is more than financial relief. It is a powerful affirmation that their eldest child’s competence and dreams are being recognized—and a reassuring step toward her future as a civil engineer.
Kollin, who starts her sophomore year at the University of Santo Tomas next year, was among only 11 students named Aboitiz Future Leaders Program (AFLP) scholars this year. The scholarship covers her tuition plus allowance from second year until she graduates, provided the scholar continues to meet its requirements, easing a major burden for a family supporting two children in college.
Worth the wait
Mrs. Cayco still remembers that fateful day when she learned that Kollin had qualified for the AFLP scholarship. It was on 30 July when her daughter received an email notifying that she had qualified for a scholarship from the UST Alumni Association and another email from Aboitiz Foundation qualifying her for the AFLP.
The proud mother congratulated her daughter who accepted the Aboitiz Foundation scholarship.
Cayco herself saw Kollin’s name on the foundation’s Facebook announcement of its 2026 scholars. Her daughter was one of 11 new scholars of AFLP — and the only one selected from four UST applicants who reached the interview stage a week earlier.
“As a parent, I was also praying that she passes the Aboitiz interview,” Cayco told DAILY TRIBUNE on the sideline of the Aboitiz Foundation’s Scholars Day welcoming the AFLP Batch 2026 beneficiaries last 3 October at the AIM Conference Center in Makati City. “The other UST applicants were also smart during the interview, according to Kollin, but she was the one chosen. My prayers were answered.”
Wilbert, Kollin’s father, had no doubt about the result. The former sales engineer who now runs a business expected his daughter to succeed.
“He knew that his daughter is smart,” Cayco said, adding that Kollin was articulate and well prepared in explaining her goals clearly before the AFLP selection panel.
Kollin had researched the company online and understood its reputation, businesses and opportunities which were helpful in impressing the interviewers. She is a young woman who knew where she wanted to go — and who had already begun preparing for the profession she chose.
Future leader
Aside from tuition support and monthly allowances, AFLP provides mentoring, leadership development, and internship exposure at any Aboitiz business units.
Cayco is confident that the well-known company is teeming with career opportunities. The program’s emphasis on leadership and real-world experience reinforces that hope. Aboitiz Foundation describes the scholarship as a way to empower deserving Filipino students through quality education while shaping them into future leaders for community impact.
Kollin’s parents are also supporting her sibling’s nursing course at Far Eastern University. Their family business helps, but income can fluctuate during lean seasons.
“Being a scholar is a big help to our family, especially in finance,” Cayco said.
To the Caycos, seeing Kollin recognized on her own merit is as meaningful as the reputation of being an AFLP scholar. The scholarship affirms her intelligence, rewards her preparation, and assures them that the future they have worked hard to secure for their children is within reach.
For Kollin, the road ahead leads to civil engineering, leadership training, and possibly a career with Aboitiz. For her parents, it is already a source of joy: proof that her abilities can carry her far.