The Tzu Chi Foundation welcomed 69 new scholars from the National Capital Region (NCR) during a recognition ceremony at the Jing Si Hall of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila on Sept. 8, 2024.
The scholars for school year 2024-2025 are all incoming second-year college students from various Tzu Chi partner schools. They received their scholar IDs from Tzu Chi Philippines chief executive Henry Yuñez and education committee head Rosa So.
As participants in Tzu Chi’s educational assistance program, they underwent preliminary screenings and face-to-face interviews with Tzu Chi volunteers in August.
Among the recipients, fraternal twins Jean Myca and John Welter Manayaga expressed their disbelief upon receiving the scholarships.
“We accepted the possibility that only one of us would be taken, so we couldn’t believe that they took us both,” said Jean Myca.
The twins, both marketing students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, are raised by their widowed mother.
The Tzu Chi scholarship provides tuition, allowances and a rice subsidy, alongside monthly Humanity classes aimed at instilling values.
The educational assistance program supports financially challenged students from elementary to college levels, with specific criteria for college applicants to ensure they complete their courses.
First-time college scholarship applicants should at least be incoming sophomores to ensure they can complete their enrolled courses. Long-term scholars who change majors after their first year may be removed from the program.
