Attorney Jermagne A. Ceria reached the profession after years of balancing responsibility, ambition, and faith in a future he steadily pursued.
Ceria grew up in Cauayan City, where his family situation changed during his first year of high school after his parents separated. Raised by his mother, a public school teacher, Ceria and his five siblings learned early that education mattered. An SM Scholarship later gave him the chance to study Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at UPHS-Isabela.
He graduated in 2018 and soon took on the role of family provider, helping support his younger siblings through school.
Before turning to law, Ceria built a career in finance. He started as a treasury associate in Cauayan and later became a treasury supervisor. His work expanded overseas, serving as an accounting team leader for a New Jersey firm and as a staff accountant for a California-based company. He later worked as a finance associate for a SaaS company in Texas.
Law school was not part of his original plan. Ceria had intended to pursue an MBA, but when the program was no longer available on campus, he reconsidered his options and applied to law school.
“Perhaps you could say that my friends inspired me to pursue my law degree,” Ceria said.
Several fellow SM Scholars were already in their third year of law school, and seeing their progress made the goal feel possible.
Ceria entered law school while working full time on a graveyard shift, a routine he kept for four years. Despite the schedule, he graduated as valedictorian of the Isabela State University College of Law, Class of 2025.
“In those four years, I was also in a graveyard shift,” he said. Staying organized became essential. “You have to learn how to prioritize what’s important for the day. This means preparing all your books and codals, printing case laws, and outlining your schedule. You must have the discipline to stick to your plan and study schedule.”
Rest, he added, mattered as much as preparation. “Strategizing when to take a break is just as important. You need to rest as much as you need to study.”
Persistence, Ceria said, carried him through law school and the Bar.
“The value of persistence that I learned as an SM Scholar really helped me in my law studies,” he said. “If you have a dream, sacrifice a thing or two to achieve it. My grit and tenacity led me here.”
He also pointed to the practical impact on his family. “SM opened a lot of opportunities and pivoted me to where I am today. I was able to help my mother with finances and am sending my siblings to school.”
Now a newly minted lawyer, Ceria plans to build a legal career that draws on both his finance background and his legal training.
The SM College Scholarship Program is accepting online applications from graduating senior high school students from Feb. 1 to 28, 2026. For more inspiring stories and program updates, follow @SMFoundationInc on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
