By Marie Tonette Grace Marticio Palo, Leyte – Two graduates of the Saint Paul School of Professional Studies (SPSPS) topped the May 2018 licensure examinations for Certified Public Accounts (CPA). Jayson Ong Chan topped a field of 9,830 examinees with a 92.5 percent rating, while review school roommate Jomari Jess Sacendoncillo Abella came in second with an average grade of 91.67 percent. According to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), 2,843 out of 9,830 examinees successfully hurdled the May 2018 CPA board exams. Chan, a native of Calbayog City, Samar shared that the keys to his achievement were pure hard work and prayers. "If you look at your dreams, sometimes they may be impossible to achieve, but just do your best and pray hard," he said. He has been a constant academic achiever since grade school and graduated Cum Laude. Jayson is the youngest among three children who all graduated with business degrees. According to him, he chose to take accountancy in SPBS because it was a booming course when he graduated from high school, and SPSPS was a perfect choice because it had also produced a board topnotcher in 2014. However, the journey has not been easy for him as they had to pass the strict retention process from their school. "Accountancy is really hard, but I am grateful to my teachers at SPSPS for providing us with the best training and instilling discipline on us," Chan shared. Although he has already received calls from large firms in Metro Manila, Jayson is still yet to decide for his next plans after he takes his oath. Abellar, a working student from Tacloban City, was Chan's roommate while they were taking their review in Manila. Abellar graduated as Summa Cum Laude and was also their class valedictorian. He plans to accept an offer to work for an auditing firm in Metro Manila.