THE YOUNGEST and the only Southeast Asian to receive the award for Outstanding Student Achiever of the World is a proud Thomasian.
Leonard Faustino, a 16-year-old Medical Technology freshman, accepted the recognition last July 9 at the 16th World University Students Assembly in Seoul, South Korea.
Conferred by the Universal Peace Federation, World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (World CARP), and the United Nations Veterans Foundation to 19 other students all over the world, the award recognizes exceptional academic and humanitarian efforts.
Faustino, who graduated from the Olongapo Regional Science High School, was one of the few students recommended by the Department of Education for the award.
During his senior year in high school, Faustino invented an internet security system under a study titled “E-bay vs. My-bay: Innovative Internet Security System,” which was later tested and bought by a search engine website.
He was also the captain of the Philippine team that won the 2004 and 2006 Best Magazine award in the Southeast Asian Ministry of Education Organization web magazine competition in Singapore, earning a reputation as one of the top 10 computer wizards of the Philippines.
Faustino however turned down a six-year Tokyo University scholarship grant from Microsoft International, a guaranteed $10,000 monthly allowance, and a future job with the Bill Gates-owned software company to focus on a more “patriotic” task.
As the national executive director of True Love Power Movement under World CARP, Faustino hopes to set up a university-wide organization to promote nationalism among Thomasians.
“The Thomasian alumni are recognized in different social fields, and the students nowadays need to know, at least, how to care for our country. I believe this will be their biggest contribution to the Philippines’ sought-after development.”
