“GETTING an Ivy League education is not unattainable for Filipino scholars,” said Zholl Tablante, an admissions officer at Dartmouth College, in an interview with CNN.
That is certainly true for Janel Perez, a graduate of Buting Elementary School in Pasig City. She is headed to the Ivy League’s top undergraduate institution—Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, founded in 1769—next school year as a King Scholar.
This was no small feat, as Dartmouth, the smallest of all Ivy League schools by choice, is a highly competitive tight knit community, with an acceptance rate around 8 percent for the Class of 2022—Perez’s batch.
As a King Scholar, Perez gets a four-year full merit scholarship that covers her tuition and boarding, travel internships, extensive mentoring, leadership training, and stipend.
The King Scholarship is given to low-income students from developing nations who are interested in alleviating poverty in their home countries.
Dartmouth is consistently included in the highest-ranked universities in the United States. It topped Forbes’ “Best-Loved Colleges” list in 2017 and is part of the 20 colleges in the world that produce the most millionaire alumni, according to a 2016 survey.
Some of its most notable alumni include Nelson Rockefeller—the 41st Vice President of the United States—and US Chief Justices, several senators and government officials, CEOs, 13 Pulitzer Prize winners, Nobel Prize laureates, political analysts, and professors.
They also include Academy Award-winning screenwriter Michael Phillips, Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, Emmy Award winner Michael Moriarty, The Mindy Project creator Mindy Kaling, and David Harbour of Stranger Things.
Also a high school scholar at International School Manila, Janel also got accepted to other Ivy League schools like Harvard University, Yale-NUS and Vanderbilt, and they all offered her full scholarships.
But after a month of thinking, talking to counselors and alumni, and researching, she ultimately chose Dartmouth after visiting its idyllic campus.
“Dartmouth was not my dream school, although I didn’t really have dream schools, because I was looking for opportunities these school provide,” Perez said.
For Janel, meeting Tablante was like meeting a long-lost brother. When she connected with alumni in the Philippines, it was like meeting with supportive and nurturing aunts and uncles. And when she finally made the journey to Dartmouth, in Janel’s words, “I felt like I was home.”
While she had to consider which school would provide her enough financial aid and offer opportunities in service and study abroad program, the spunky 18-year-old ultimately decided on the place that she felt most welcome.
It is no surprise for Janel to feel this way, because a recent CNN report named Dartmouth one of the safest places to go to school in the US.
The dedication of the school’s alumni and the treatment that Janel received from Tablante to make her feel the warmth of the Dartmouth community was also a big determinant, she admitted.
Perez shared that the alumni in the Philippines really showed her the meaning of the close, tight-knit community that Dartmouth prides itself on.
On top of that, she really connected with Tablante. “We connected immediately after he shared his inspirational story—a true testament to the amazing heights Filipinos can achieve,” Perez said.
“Since then, we have talked every day and I could not be more honored to call him Kuya Zholl,” she added.
“When I read Janel’s application, my heart smiled,” Tablante said. “She reminded me of my 18-year-old self. Janel was independent, adventurous, and committed to not just changing the world, but improving it.”
“To me, these are qualities that all Dartmouth students share. I never tried to influence her decision, rather I was just there as a resource to educate her on the amazing opportunities Dartmouth had to offer,” he added.
As senior assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth, Tablante said Perez’s acceptance to the college was for many reasons, but what shined was the determination in her story to create an impact in her family and in her country, on top of her excellent academic performance.
In the case of Perez, even there were times she had to work on her assignments while commuting in a jeepney or speed-walk at 5 a.m. to get to ISM, she did not dwell on her circumstances, but instead used them to work harder towards her goal, he added.
Perez plans to major in Economics and Government, taking advantage of Dartmouth’s modified majors where students can create their own educational path. Her majors, she said, would help in her plan to work on poverty alleviation, focusing on human capital development.
Perez has always been passionate about helping others, especially unprivileged students, who were just like her when she was in a public-school institution.
She co-founded The Buting Educational Support and Training Project (Project BEST) in 2015, whose main initiative provides Math, Science and English mentorship programs to sixth-grade students in her former school.
“We seek to close the gap between the quality of education in private schools and public schools and improve the skills of these 6th graders from Buting for them to become at least at a better place,” Perez said.
The second of three siblings, Perez credits most of her achievements to her parents, especially her mother who inspired their love for studying.
“I was privileged enough to have parents who are really focused on my education, my brother’s, and my sister’s,” she shared.
Perez believes that her story is no different from any other Filipino student who made it into Ivy League schools or made a difference with their lives.
“I’m just here to show everyone that it’s possible,” she emphasized.
Tablante said: “At Dartmouth we really look for academic excellence and potential, but that’s not the only thing we look for. A person’s narrative is just as important—meaning the way they tell their story. Students are all read holistically and, in the context, and what may seemingly be a low score to some can actually be a fantastic score depending on the students’ home, community, or high school.”
“We’re looking to see how a student uses their resources in the best way possible; how they play the hand that they were given,” he added.
Janel asserts that even a public-school graduate can make it to the Ivy League.
“I tell them three things: first, embrace your human agencies and stop blaming your circumstances. Second, live in the moment—when you’re studying, study; when you’re in class, don’t talk to your seatmate unless it’s related to class discussions; when you’re having fun, have fun,” she said.
“And lastly, never give up, because you are going to be hit so many times, and that’s just the way life works, especially for people who are less privileged than most. Everyone will struggle, but success will come at its own time as long as you keep working at it.” #DartmouthJanelPerez