The scholar reflected on how steady support and determination lead to success.
Turning dreams into reality is the goal of many people who strive to do good everyday to make it happen. Rheanna Yzabelle De Guzman, a cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas and a scholar of the Metrobank Foundation and Boysen, shared how her journey to achieving that helped her achieve a “full circle moment.”
From onxe dreaming of becoming a licensed architect, she is officially part of it. However, her experience, which was not an easy one, highlights how education, mentorship, and partnerships help turn potential into real outcomes.
Raised by a single father, Rhonnel De Guzman, and supported by her grandmother, Librada De Guzman, she faced a major setback when her dad had to stop working due to heart disease.
By her second year in college, continuing her studies seemed unlikely, as financial resources were running out. At that time, the goal of becoming an architect felt out of reach.
“When my father had to return home due to heart disease, our world shifted. His savings could only carry my education until my second year,” sharwd Reanna. “At that point, the dream of becoming an architect didn’t just feel far away; it felt impossible.”
Armed with faith, she persevered and lifted her wish to God. “All we had was prayer and a quiet hope that the Lord would provide. And He did. Two days after my birthday, I got the news: I was a scholar.”
The Metrobank Foundation–Boysen scholarship did more than cover her school expenses. “They [Metrobank Foundation and Boysen] did not only help sustain my education. They also stayed by my side. They saw potential in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself. They didn’t just see a student in need; they saw a professional in the making.”
The support then allowed Rheanna to focus on her academic goals, enabling her to graduate with honors at the UST, eventually passing the board examination to become a licensed architect.
Her fellow MBFI–Boysen scholars and batchmates, Joanna Rose Irinco (National University–Manila) and Lycel Anne Pineda (University of the Philippines –Diliman), also successfully passed the January Architecture Licensure Examination.
During her graduation, Rheanna shared the stage with her father and grandmother to receive recognized for her achievement.
Metrobank Foundation President Philip Francisco Dy said Rheanna’s story aligns with the group’s mission to empower Filipinos to contribute beyond themselves. “We believe that empowering individuals goes beyond enabling personal success. It is about inspiring them to give back and take part in building stronger communities.”
Meanwhile, as Rheanna begins her career, she recognized that earning her license is not the end goal, but the start of a greater responsibility. For her and her fellow Metrobank Foundation–Boysen scholars, success means giving back and continuing the cycle of support.
“Our journey doesn’t end with this license. It begins with the responsibility to build, not just structures but also hope,” she shared. “A hope that one day we will all come back here with a new story. Not just of our own success, but of our own ‘full-circle moment’, a story of how we kept this cycle alive by paying it forward to the dreamers who come after us.”