By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz A Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiary acknowledged the cash grants his family received from the government that helped him pursue his dream and paid back well by gaining the top spot in this year’s licensure exam for Naval Architect and Marine Engineer held last month. (photo courtesy of University of Cebu/ Facebook) Joseph Vincent Satura, 21 of Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, got the highest rating of 92.20 percent in the board exam. He graduated cum laude (Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering) from the University of Cebu (UC). He is among eight graduates of the UC who were Top 10 board passers. Satura said he considered himself an ordinary student who only wanted to finish his studies and pass the licensure exam. “I did not expect to be on top because what I wished, together with my friends, was to only pass the exam,” he shared. “Living in a communal house in Labangon, Cebu City with my family and other relatives, and being the eldest of four siblings, I have dreamed of building our own house to experience what it feels like to be able to provide something big for my family. So, I planned on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering, believing that it would help me realize my dream house,” Satura shared. He studied hard and was granted a scholarship from Tsuneishi Foundation (Cebu) Inc. But his dream course was not included in the degree program offered under the scholarship. So he took up Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering which he eventually learned to love. But while Joseph did not have to worry about tuition, budgeting his P50 daily allowance for his fare, food, and other miscellaneous expenses in school was a constant struggle. Give your best He acknowledged how the cash grant his mother received from 4Ps has helped augment his needs while he was studying. “I am thankful that for a lot of times, the cash grants my mother received from 4Ps have helped me in my expenses for my projects, especially during the time I was doing my thesis,” he said. Satura’s financial challenges did not hinder him from performing well in school. He emerged champion and bagged awards in different school-based and national competitions, including the 2015 UC Engineering Math Quiz Bowl, 2015 and 2016 UC Engineering Subjects and Applied Science Quiz Bowl, Stellar Composite Design Competition, and the 2nd Alliance of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Students of the Philippines Math Quiz Bowl and Naval Architecture Quiz Bowl. He also represented UC in the Worldwide Safety Ferry Association Design Competition in Thailand in April 2017. Satura is currently a part-time faculty at the main campus of the University of Cebu. He plans to pursue his dreams by working for the shipbuilding company that gave him his scholarship in college. He also looks forward to designing his family’s dream house while helping his parents in sending his two other siblings to college. Asked what advice he would give to students who aspire to be successful in their studies, Satura says: “Always give your best in whatever you do, be it big or small. You have bigger chances of fulfilling your aspirations in life if you work hard for it. And of course, never forget to pray and believe in God that he gives whatever your heart desires.”