John Valencia Lalugan, a proud member of the Itneg Indigenous community, has carved his name into Tineg, Abra’s history by graduating as the municipality’s first-ever summa cum laude known in its history.
There could have been others, but the young man is one that is born and raised in Tineg who finished as summa cum laude.
The 23-year-old is one of the graduates of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at Saint Louis University in Baguio City this year, receiving the highest honor during the graduation ceremony on July 1, 2025.
From calculators to stethoscopes
In an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, the Itneg pride recounted that he started studying medical technology but found his calling in accountancy, trading stethoscopes for spreadsheets.
“I was once a med-tech student from the same university. I shifted to accountancy—tapping my fingertips on the calculator is far different from hearing heartbeats from the stethoscope. It was a path full of adjustments. I moved on and continued with numbers and worksheets,” he shared.
While grateful to his family, friends, and professors for being part of his feat, John admitted that he didn’t aim for honors and just wanted to make his parents proud, simply wanting to gift his diploma to them.
“Honestly po, I did not expect na big deal po yung ganun. I was just telling my parents over the phone na makakagraduate na ako kasi pasado ako sa pinakamahirap na subject nung review semester. That one subject actually is the decider if you graduate or not. Grateful na napasa ko despite initially having an unexpected record. I'm just so grateful na maibibigay ko sa family ko both medal and history,” he added.
Advice to upcoming college students
When asked about his message to upcoming college students, he urged them to stay focused, believe in their abilities, and never give up; that whatever title they aim for, it’s themselves they’re proving it to.
“To all students, remember to do your best in school. Regardless of what title you are aiming at the end of your college journey, the most important thing is to remain focused on your dreams and never give up. If you aspire to bring home that Latin honor, then it just means you trust your skills and abilities. And it is only you, yourself, that is able to prove the same, or otherwise,” he said.
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