SM scholar honors family's memories, becomes mechanical engineer
She lost her loved ones during the height of Covid-19 pandemic.
By MB Lifestyle
Published Apr 4, 2023 02:23 am
Covid-19 pandemic changed our lives, giving lessons that will let us carry them for the rest of our lives.This is true for SM scholar alumna Engr. Irish Tañada, who recently passed the mechanical engineering board examination. For her, 2020 and 2021 are the years she will never forget.
SM scholar alumna Engr. Irish Tañada
She applied for different college scholarships, but it was the SM College Scholarship Program that opened its doors to her. “I was just entering college when I realized that my parents could not afford to send me to a university as my dad had just retired. Unfortunately, his deteriorating medical condition consumed the majority of his pension,” she said. “They could not afford to send me to my dream university, so I applied for every potential scholarship.I saw SM Foundation looking for new scholars since there were no incoming freshmen due to the newly implemented K-12 program back then. SM Foundation opened its doors to me, and I became an SM scholar.”
Irish visits her brother and parent’s grave after passing the mechanical engineering board examination
“My brother was a seminarian and he had dengue. We weren’t able to bring him to the hospital as protocols were very strict back then. On July 28, 2021, he passed away. It was so hard for my parents so after a few days, my father also joined our creator due to kidney and diabetes complications,” she said. “Losing them both was unbearable for my mother, the day after my father died, she followed.” The route in front of her seemed fuzzy in the midst of the detour. She made the decision to postpone her board exam and be the source of strength for her younger siblings. “I almost gave up,” she openly shared, admitting that she wasn't sure how she was able to go through that period of her life.She held onto the memories of her parents, and harnessed the power of education to get back up again. “Good education is a foundation that prepares one to deal with the many challenges that life puts in front of us. It teaches us to organize, evaluate, and prioritize what is important to us, our family, and the world around us.” Fully aware of the power of education, she remains passionate about learning. She hopes to make her parents prouder and enrich the opportunities opened by the SM scholarship by getting additional engineering certifications and exploring engineering practices across the world. SM group, through SM Foundation’s scholarship program, has been providing deserving and qualified students access to college education and technical-vocational studies since 1993. To date, SMFI has produced more than 8,000 college and tech-voc scholar-graduates nationwide. *Learn more about stories of scholar-graduates or SMFI’s education initiatives today. Visit*[*www.sm-foundation.org*](http://www.sm-foundation.org)*.*
Opening opportunities
Irish grew up in a simple, humble family. Her parents were dedicated to giving her and her five siblings a comfortable life despite the financial struggles. Well aware of their parent’s hard work, she and her siblings studied hard and became consistent academic achievers. When she was in elementary school, Irish graduated a class valedictorian and was admitted to a special science class in high school. “As a big family, we struggled financially, so my siblings and I strived to do well in school and had always been consistent achievers in return for the sacrifices of our parents,” she said. “I was able to finish my senior year with honors and was motivated to get a college scholarship so I could help lighten the financial burden on my parents.”
SM scholar alumna Engr. Irish Tañada
She applied for different college scholarships, but it was the SM College Scholarship Program that opened its doors to her. “I was just entering college when I realized that my parents could not afford to send me to a university as my dad had just retired. Unfortunately, his deteriorating medical condition consumed the majority of his pension,” she said. “They could not afford to send me to my dream university, so I applied for every potential scholarship.I saw SM Foundation looking for new scholars since there were no incoming freshmen due to the newly implemented K-12 program back then. SM Foundation opened its doors to me, and I became an SM scholar.”
Pillar of strength
Through the support of her family and her SM Scholarship, Irish finished mechanical engineering and was a cum laude graduate of Cebu Institute of Technology. She then landed a job while reviewing for the board examination. At the time, it seemed Irish was starting to give the life she hoped for her family—a life of comfort where is able to contribute to their needs, especially the medicines of her father. However, the life of the Tañada household took a sharp detour during the pandemic—her brother died, and her parents followed soon after.
Irish visits her brother and parent’s grave after passing the mechanical engineering board examination
“My brother was a seminarian and he had dengue. We weren’t able to bring him to the hospital as protocols were very strict back then. On July 28, 2021, he passed away. It was so hard for my parents so after a few days, my father also joined our creator due to kidney and diabetes complications,” she said. “Losing them both was unbearable for my mother, the day after my father died, she followed.” The route in front of her seemed fuzzy in the midst of the detour. She made the decision to postpone her board exam and be the source of strength for her younger siblings. “I almost gave up,” she openly shared, admitting that she wasn't sure how she was able to go through that period of her life.She held onto the memories of her parents, and harnessed the power of education to get back up again. “Good education is a foundation that prepares one to deal with the many challenges that life puts in front of us. It teaches us to organize, evaluate, and prioritize what is important to us, our family, and the world around us.” Fully aware of the power of education, she remains passionate about learning. She hopes to make her parents prouder and enrich the opportunities opened by the SM scholarship by getting additional engineering certifications and exploring engineering practices across the world. SM group, through SM Foundation’s scholarship program, has been providing deserving and qualified students access to college education and technical-vocational studies since 1993. To date, SMFI has produced more than 8,000 college and tech-voc scholar-graduates nationwide. *Learn more about stories of scholar-graduates or SMFI’s education initiatives today. Visit*[*www.sm-foundation.org*](http://www.sm-foundation.org)*.*