Through grit and hard work: 274 SM scholars bloom for the future

On Sept. 21, SM Foundation honored 274 SM scholar-graduates during the 2026 Presentation of the SM College Scholar Graduates, celebrating their achievements and the determination that carried them through their college journey.

Of this year’s graduating class, 119 are honor graduates, including 15 summa cum laude, 42 magna cum laude, 46 cum laude, and 16 graduates with Academic Distinction. Their academic achievements reflect years of dedication, perseverance, and hard work, often alongside financial and personal challenges that they had to overcome on their way to graduation.

“Beyond these numbers are 274 individual stories, each shaped by different circumstances, challenges, dreams, and opportunities,” said Carmen Linda Atayde, SM Foundation executive director for education programs, in her welcome remarks.

“This is at the heart of the Foundation’s scholarship program. We believe that when we open doors to education, we help create possibilities that can reach far beyond one individual,” Atayde added.

The graduates also heard from someone who knows firsthand how an educational opportunity can shape a life. Roan B. Torregoza, an SM scholar alumna and now chief financial officer of 8990 Holdings, Inc., returned to the Foundation as keynote speaker for the Class of 2026.

In her remarks, Atayde described Torregoza’s journey as an example of how “an opportunity received can become a life transformed, and that a life transformed can, in turn, become a source of opportunity for others.”

The presentation brought together members of the Sy family, SM Foundation’s Board of Trustees and executives, partners from the SM Group and other social good partners, and the families of the graduating scholars.

In her closing remarks, SM Foundation Vice President for Education Programs—Scholarships Eleanor Lansang recognized the graduates for turning the opportunity of a scholarship into an achievement earned through their own determination.

“Your SM Foundation scholarship was an opportunity, but you turned that opportunity into an achievement through your own hard work,” Lansang said, encouraging the graduates to carry that same determination forward and help create opportunities for others.

She closed the program with a challenge to the Class of 2026: “Bloom boldly, persevere always, and keep spreading social good.” 

The SM Scholarship Program was launched in 1993 under the vision of SM Founder Henry “Tatang” Sy, Sr., who believed that education is the ultimate social equalizer. The program provides SM Scholars with full financial support throughout their college journey, complemented by workplace integration and professional enrichment opportunities designed to help prepare them for careers as changemakers and future industry leaders.

With the addition of this year’s graduates, the SM Scholarship Program now has a growing community of 4,640 SM Foundation scholar alumni who carry forward the opportunities they received and the values they developed through their scholarship journey.

* * *

Editor’s Note: This article was provided by SM Foundation, Inc.