Programs for Scholars > Essay Contests Pillars to Success Academic Awards & Summer Camp

The Five Pillars to Success for Philippine Scholars
The five pillars for success for Philippine Scholars are like the fingers on your hand. Each is important but you need all of them together to make a hand that is useful. And so it is with these five pillars to success. You need all of them to succeed and become a successful Philippine citizen!
Philippine Scholar sponsors, coordinators, facilitators, parents, family members and friends encourage you to study and embrace these Five Pillars to Success.
1) Personal attitude: It starts with me.
Do I want to succeed? Philippine Scholars have a positive attitude toward learning because they have a goal: to improve themselves and contribute to society.
Do you have a role model, a person you look up to, to encourage and motivate you? Motivated people need role models, a parent, an uncle or aunt or an adult in a field of work you admire. This person can be real and alive in your life or a historical figure. Ask yourself: What would your role model do in your situation?
Are you taking care of yourself? Again, think of the five fingers of your hand. Are you: 1) getting enough to eat and to sleep? Are you maintaining your physical fitness? 2) Are you mentally alert? 3) Are you happy and emotionally balanced? 4) Do you have positive friends and participate in social activities? And 5) do you have a spiritual life? These five attributes are the building blocks of a healthy, balanced person and need to be addressed in order for anyone to be a success.
Do you need help in some way? This is often not easy. However, you might get help if you ask. Please, please take this risk.
Being a Philippine Scholar is a privilege and responsibility. Part of that responsibility is asking for help, when you need it. Ask yourself: Do you need tutoring or additional study help? Are you shy? Is it difficult for you to ask questions or for help? Perhaps you have difficulty in taking tests or writing assignments. Perhaps you are in an unhealthy family situation, pregnant or in relations that are abusive or hurting your attending school, studying or scholarship achievement.
These and other possible problems can be discussed and solved by discussing them—with your parents or another, trusted family member, religious or lay person, a teacher or school administrator, Philippine Scholar coordinator or sponsor. There many people around you who want to help you succeed!
2) A strong supportive home life. Help starts with mother and father or other adults in your house.
A better future for the Philippine people comes through education of the children. As a Philippine Scholar, you depend on the support and encouragement of your mother, father and family. Parents who encourage their Scholar(s) to attend school and study know that their children can be successful, educated adults. They will then have better opportunities to provide for their families!
Do the parents encourage their Scholars to attend school? Do the parents provide time and a quiet place in the home to study for their Scholars? These “small attitudes” are important to each Scholar’s success.
However, it is important that Scholars do their own studying, write their own papers and take their own tests. Parents or other family members should encourage but not do the Scholar’s work. Scholarship is an individual personal responsibility.
Sometimes work for the family or household chores such as watching younger brothers or sisters can conflict with studying. A balance of chores and studying is important to successful Scholarship. Discussing family responsibilities and studying between the Scholar and parent is recommended to arrive at the proper balance between Scholarship and household responsibilities.
Who will provide the support, encouragement and nurturing of the Scholar children, if, unfortunately the parents are absent from the home? Arrangements need to be made for the care of the children if parents are away from the home. This is important.
Children are the future of the Philippines. They need love, support and encouragement from their extended family if their parents are not at home. Parental and extended family care is important for each Scholar’s success.
3) A school environment that encourages learning.
Choosing and attending the right school is also important for successful Scholarship. How do you choose? Is the reputation of the school good and its instructors honorable? Is the school nearby? Are the teachers friendly? Do the teachers know and enjoy the subjects they teach? Do the teachers like the children they teach and treat them with respect?
Is the school clean? Is there enough space for the students to sit and learn? Are there adequate books and teaching materials? Scholars, their parents or family members need to have satisfactory answers to these questions. They also need to know where the school is, who the teachers are and what the course materials are so that they feel motivated and comfortable about attending the school and learning from its teachers.
4) Friends and community that provide encouragement.
Successful Scholars need the support of friends, neighbors and the community as well as from their parents at home and at school. A successful Scholar has friends who value the importance of education and support Scholarship.
Spending time with friends and in social activities like playing sports, dating, watching television and playing video games are important to a balanced and healthy life but should not interfere or compete with attending school, studying or completing school assignments. Friends who value Scholarship are encouraged. Activities that support Scholarship are encouraged.
5) Financial support helps Scholars focus on learning.
The primary mission of the Philippine Scholars program is to provide financial assistance to worthy students so that they can become successful Scholars and valuable, contributing Philippine citizens. The primary focus of financial aid to Philippine Scholars is to help them with the costs of earning an education that would otherwise be out-of-reach. Other financial needs, such as housing expenses, defraying the cost of family businesses, loaning money to relatives or other activities are outside the scope of the Philippine Scholar’s mission. If all the support is not spent on tuition, fees, books, supplies, uniforms and transportation, it can be spent on food for the Scholar or siblings. Families need to plan ahead, so that the money for Scholarship is available when needed.
Occasionally though, unforeseen expenses arise. Fires, floods and other natural disasters happen. Accidents, prolonged illness or unexpected expenses for school also may arise.
As these or other financial problems occur, they will be dealt with on an individual case-by-case basis with the Scholar’s family, facilitator, coordinator and possibly sponsors. Each Scholar and his or her family’s situation and needs are unique. Careful thought and consideration need to be given to each Scholar’s particular financial circumstances. The coordinator is an essential person to get involved in financial matters, and his/her recommendation is very valuable for our organization.
Hands in partnership for successful Philippine Scholarship.
The Five Pillars to Success for Philippine Scholars are like the five fingers of a hand. Each represents one important aspect of what is needed to be a successful Philippine Scholar and citizen.
Sponsors, facilitators, coordinators, parents, relatives, friends and supporters of the Philippine Scholars stand ready to lend a helping hand through these Five Pillars to Success for Philippine Scholars.
The success of the Philippine Scholars is in your hands!
The five pillars for success for Philippine Scholars are like the fingers on your hand. Each is important but you need all of them together to make a hand that is useful. And so it is with these five pillars to success. You need all of them to succeed and become a successful Philippine citizen!
Philippine Scholar sponsors, coordinators, facilitators, parents, family members and friends encourage you to study and embrace these Five Pillars to Success.
1) Personal attitude: It starts with me.
Do I want to succeed? Philippine Scholars have a positive attitude toward learning because they have a goal: to improve themselves and contribute to society.
Do you have a role model, a person you look up to, to encourage and motivate you? Motivated people need role models, a parent, an uncle or aunt or an adult in a field of work you admire. This person can be real and alive in your life or a historical figure. Ask yourself: What would your role model do in your situation?
Are you taking care of yourself? Again, think of the five fingers of your hand. Are you: 1) getting enough to eat and to sleep? Are you maintaining your physical fitness? 2) Are you mentally alert? 3) Are you happy and emotionally balanced? 4) Do you have positive friends and participate in social activities? And 5) do you have a spiritual life? These five attributes are the building blocks of a healthy, balanced person and need to be addressed in order for anyone to be a success.
Do you need help in some way? This is often not easy. However, you might get help if you ask. Please, please take this risk.
Being a Philippine Scholar is a privilege and responsibility. Part of that responsibility is asking for help, when you need it. Ask yourself: Do you need tutoring or additional study help? Are you shy? Is it difficult for you to ask questions or for help? Perhaps you have difficulty in taking tests or writing assignments. Perhaps you are in an unhealthy family situation, pregnant or in relations that are abusive or hurting your attending school, studying or scholarship achievement.
These and other possible problems can be discussed and solved by discussing them—with your parents or another, trusted family member, religious or lay person, a teacher or school administrator, Philippine Scholar coordinator or sponsor. There many people around you who want to help you succeed!
2) A strong supportive home life. Help starts with mother and father or other adults in your house.
A better future for the Philippine people comes through education of the children. As a Philippine Scholar, you depend on the support and encouragement of your mother, father and family. Parents who encourage their Scholar(s) to attend school and study know that their children can be successful, educated adults. They will then have better opportunities to provide for their families!
Do the parents encourage their Scholars to attend school? Do the parents provide time and a quiet place in the home to study for their Scholars? These “small attitudes” are important to each Scholar’s success.
However, it is important that Scholars do their own studying, write their own papers and take their own tests. Parents or other family members should encourage but not do the Scholar’s work. Scholarship is an individual personal responsibility.
Sometimes work for the family or household chores such as watching younger brothers or sisters can conflict with studying. A balance of chores and studying is important to successful Scholarship. Discussing family responsibilities and studying between the Scholar and parent is recommended to arrive at the proper balance between Scholarship and household responsibilities.
Who will provide the support, encouragement and nurturing of the Scholar children, if, unfortunately the parents are absent from the home? Arrangements need to be made for the care of the children if parents are away from the home. This is important.
Children are the future of the Philippines. They need love, support and encouragement from their extended family if their parents are not at home. Parental and extended family care is important for each Scholar’s success.
3) A school environment that encourages learning.
Choosing and attending the right school is also important for successful Scholarship. How do you choose? Is the reputation of the school good and its instructors honorable? Is the school nearby? Are the teachers friendly? Do the teachers know and enjoy the subjects they teach? Do the teachers like the children they teach and treat them with respect?
Is the school clean? Is there enough space for the students to sit and learn? Are there adequate books and teaching materials? Scholars, their parents or family members need to have satisfactory answers to these questions. They also need to know where the school is, who the teachers are and what the course materials are so that they feel motivated and comfortable about attending the school and learning from its teachers.
4) Friends and community that provide encouragement.
Successful Scholars need the support of friends, neighbors and the community as well as from their parents at home and at school. A successful Scholar has friends who value the importance of education and support Scholarship.
Spending time with friends and in social activities like playing sports, dating, watching television and playing video games are important to a balanced and healthy life but should not interfere or compete with attending school, studying or completing school assignments. Friends who value Scholarship are encouraged. Activities that support Scholarship are encouraged.
5) Financial support helps Scholars focus on learning.
The primary mission of the Philippine Scholars program is to provide financial assistance to worthy students so that they can become successful Scholars and valuable, contributing Philippine citizens. The primary focus of financial aid to Philippine Scholars is to help them with the costs of earning an education that would otherwise be out-of-reach. Other financial needs, such as housing expenses, defraying the cost of family businesses, loaning money to relatives or other activities are outside the scope of the Philippine Scholar’s mission. If all the support is not spent on tuition, fees, books, supplies, uniforms and transportation, it can be spent on food for the Scholar or siblings. Families need to plan ahead, so that the money for Scholarship is available when needed.
Occasionally though, unforeseen expenses arise. Fires, floods and other natural disasters happen. Accidents, prolonged illness or unexpected expenses for school also may arise.
As these or other financial problems occur, they will be dealt with on an individual case-by-case basis with the Scholar’s family, facilitator, coordinator and possibly sponsors. Each Scholar and his or her family’s situation and needs are unique. Careful thought and consideration need to be given to each Scholar’s particular financial circumstances. The coordinator is an essential person to get involved in financial matters, and his/her recommendation is very valuable for our organization.
Hands in partnership for successful Philippine Scholarship.
The Five Pillars to Success for Philippine Scholars are like the five fingers of a hand. Each represents one important aspect of what is needed to be a successful Philippine Scholar and citizen.
Sponsors, facilitators, coordinators, parents, relatives, friends and supporters of the Philippine Scholars stand ready to lend a helping hand through these Five Pillars to Success for Philippine Scholars.
The success of the Philippine Scholars is in your hands!