From self-doubting student to summa cum laude
Self-doubt can be an ingredient in becoming a summa cum laude graduate.
Nyvel C. Villanueva entered UP Los Baños as a “19-year-old self-doubting student” in 2022 and graduated recently as a summa cum laude with a degree in BA Communication Arts, major in Speech Communication. His GWA is 1.1354.
The son of a GMA assistant cameraman and a homemaker, Nyvel, now 22, recalls how the university made him doubt himself.
“The biggest challenge in my college life was to gain footing at UPLB and to gain confidence. UPLB has a way of humbling you in so many ways. It did not matter whether you finished valedictorian in high school because the university will make you feel you have no ascendancy over anyone. Everybody is equal,” Nyvel begins.
Then homesickness set in. From their home in Caloocan City, Nyvel had to find a place in UPLB, also referred to as Elbi by its students.
“It’s a common experience of students from Metro Manila or other provinces to go through that feeling of loneliness once they begin to settle in Elbi. Malala rin talaga ‘yung mawalay sa pamilya at sarilinin ang maraming bagay nang mahabang panahon,” he says.
The university that presented him a close brush with insecurity also taught him independence.
“More than academics, Elbi taught me to be independent in the most literal sense. I was in charge of budgeting my allowance. I took care of my food, my laundry. Even the community in UPLB that I would join in depended on my own decision,” he says. Nyvel is a proud member of the UPLB Com Arts Society where he served as vice president at one point.
He, too, did his own self-care in UPLB. And in times when giving up reared its ugly head, Nyvel turned the unpleasant, the unwelcome and the troublesome into something positive and productive.
“It’s a always a conscious effort to stay faithful to your goals,” he says. “And when you are focused, you become strong in mind, body and spirit.”
Yes, Nyvel had doubts. He had insecurities. He had a series of misgivings. But he also was a stubborn dreamer.
“Despite my self-doubt, it was really my goal, my start-to-finish goal, to make it good in my studies in Elbi,” he says.
How important is his UPLB education to Nyvel?
“My UPLB education is very liberating. If I were to compare it to things, it would be like being handed with fruits by our teachers. We were not expected to return the same fruits to them. We were expected to make fruit shake or juice or dessert. Creativity and critical thinking were expected of us.
“Our professors taught us theories and set of ideas but they did not want us to duplicate them. They expected us to make our own. That’s freedom in education,” he adds.
How does it feel to be a summa cum laude graduate?
“I’m both grateful and challenged. More pressured. I am more pressured to continuously do well in life. Hindi pwedeng matalo sa buhay (I can’t lose in life),” Nyvel says.
Nyvel dedicates his summa cum laude accomplishment to his parents Nicanor Villanueva Jr. and Eloisa Villanueva.
“Growing up, I was surrounded by my two sisters and my mom at home. My father was doing his job as an assistant cameraman in GMA. Papa’s dream for me was to become a basketball player because I was the only boy in the brood. Because I knew I would not be able to fulfil my father’s dream for me, I made sure he would still be proud of me by graduating summa cum laude.
He did not only graduate with the highest honors, Nyvel was also valedictorian of the class of 2026, Department of Humanities; valedictorian BA Communication Arts, class of 2026; 2026 UPLB outstanding student leadership awardee; recipient of the UP presidential undergraduate scholarship; PelikuLab service awardee; and a nominee for best BA Communication Arts Thesis (research category).
His undergraduate thesis, “Kwentong Katawan,” is an interactive board game-based sex education learning tool for students and teachers.
His being a creative and technically savvy individual “was courtesy of my 13 years of being a campus journalist before I entered college.”
“I owe it big to all my school paper advisers. They are my heroes, too. They sharpened my skills in both the creative and technical aspect,” Nyvel says.
His ultimate heroes, of course, are his parents. “I want to buy them house and lot one day,” he says.
“I am just lucky that I was born to parents who did not insist on their children to pursuing courses according to what they wanted,” he says.
Nyvel’s immediate plan after graduation is to rest for a while before pursuing a career either in government or in the aviation industry.
“But my long-term plan is to secure a beautiful life for my parents. Kailangan ko munang ibigay ‘yung sarili ko sa mga magulang ko na talagang nagkayod at naghirap para lang mapagtapos kaming tatlong magkakapatid.”
If gratitude were the only ingredient for success, Nyvel C. Villanueva would be assured of victory in life. No self-doubt could deny him success.
