Pathways graduates 14th batch of scholars

Pathways to Higher Education sent off its 14th batch of scholars last July 30, 2022 in its first face-to-face event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Held within the Ateneo de Manila University campus, 23 scholars graduated from Pathways with our Pabaon.

Pabaon is the final camp where scholars recap their 6-year stay in the Pathways to Higher Education program under the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design. Together, we take stock of their experiences and the lessons they learned through the years. After taking a look at what has happened, we take the time to appreciate what skills and insights they can take along with them into the future—their pabaon or the gifts from their stay with us.

This year’s three-part Pabaon began on  July 23 with an online, synchronous event. As we practiced the Ignatian Examen, we took the time to discern the lessons and skills they gained from their activities with us. Our scholars also remembered the people and things that made a significant impact on their stay and growth with Pathways—from our international partners to the friends they made in the local community. They continued their reflections in the week that followed, facilitated by an asynchronous module.

We capped off the event with the face-to-face gathering where they got to share the same space one last time as Pathways scholars. We shared meaningful messages of both nostalgia for the past and excitement for the future in the letter writing. They also shared what they will commit to doing for themselves, the Pathways community, and the greater society. And before they forget, we reminded them what we saw in them as they joined us in their journey: that they are the salt of the earth and light of the world.

Our Batch 14 scholars are a unique batch. This cohort is the first batch to have undergone the Philippines’ senior high school program which had extended their supposed 6-year stay with Pathways into an 8-year stay due to the additional 2 years in the curriculum. They began as 10th graders from different junior high schools across Marikina and Quezon City and ended as 4th year college students from different universities. Yet they bonded and finished the Pathways program as Trailblazers who seek to lead with their values.

Solvie Nubla-Lee, the Pathways director, described the batch similarly as a diverse yet tight-knit group. She reminds them in her closing remarks, “It’s going to be a very, very different world out there but know that you will always have each other’s backs. And that Pathways is always here for you.” As she closes the Pabaon, she says what everyone at Pathways has in mind “It’s time to blaze your trail and I can’t wait to see the heights you’ll conquer and the heights that you’ll soar.”

We’re happy to have joined your journey, Pathways Batch 14!