Rising Against all Odds: SM Scholars Secure Top Spots in CPALE 2026 Results
There are moments in life when fear and doubt seem to overshadow hope. For SM Scholars Angle Jean Geonzon Bagacay (Top 6), Steven Brielle Salpid David (Top 8), and Fermina Kassandra Dela Cruz (Top 12), these moments were not a single trial but a series of tests—through four years of college, months of review, and days when giving up seemed easier than continuing.
The scholars’ perseverance bore fruit when they emerged among the nation’s highest-ranking CPALE passers in the May 2026 results, a triumph shaped by courage, faith, and support.
Rising After the Fall
Angle shares a proud moment with her mother, Rosila Bagacay, during the Mindanao State University – General Santos City College of Business Administration and Accountancy Commencement Exercises. Reflecting on her journey as an SM Scholar, Angle expressed that the scholarship has been a source of pride for her family, with her parents constantly reminding her that they were proud of her regardless of the CPALE result.
Angle recalls her second year in college as the hardest. Failing a minor subject shook her confidence and threatened her dream of graduating with Latin honors. “That experience taught me resilience, humility, and how to bounce back,” she shared. SM Foundation (SMFI), understanding her potential, continued to support her, strengthening her confidence.
Angle turns her SM Scholarship into triumph—Top 6 CPALE performer and national award winner, proving that faith over fear leads to excellence.
Winning a national accounting competition and a full review scholarship became her turning points.
“SMFI believed in my capabilities and invested in my future. That trust made me dream bigger and strive for excellence,” Angle said.
Being named as the Top 6 performer during the recent CPALE was a confirmation for her that faith over fear — in every quiet, unseen moment — leads to extraordinary outcomes.
“Topping the boards also opened many opportunities for me and gave my family a stronger sense of security and optimism about the bright future ahead,” she added. She hopes to leverage her expertise while lifting others on similar journeys.
Perseverance as Purpose
Steven faced fear and uncertainty at the start of his BS Accountancy journey, but with the support of his parents, he turned challenges into triumphs. IN PHOTO: From left to right, his mother Lucita David, Steven, and his sister Kyle Nicole David during his college graduation ceremony.
For Steven, the CPALE journey began with self-doubt and immense responsibility as the eldest in a family with limited resources. Postponing the October 2025 exam to prepare, he grappled with the fear that he had forgotten much of his undergraduate studies. “Ang dami uncertainties, ang daming doubts. My prayer was simply to pass. Becoming a topnotcher felt like divine intervention,” he said.
Having once narrowly failed his undergraduate qualifying exam, Steven credits this experience with strengthening his resilience, discipline, and trust in the process, which he later applied during his CPALE preparation.
Passing the board exam and being the top 8 was more than a personal milestone but a first step toward providing stability for his family. Through perseverance, he turned fear into fuel, illustrating that hope is not the absence of fear but the courage to show up anyway.
“Becoming a topnotcher felt like divine intervention,” he recalled.
Steven wants his journey to inspire others from humble backgrounds to dream boldly and trust their preparation.
Strength Through Storms
Fermina, standing with her grandmother, Juliet Dela Cruz, who helped raise her, overcame personal challenges during review season to excel in the board exam.
Fermina faced her own storms. During review season, her grandmother, who helped raise her, fell ill. She paused her studies to care for her, unsure if her dreams would wait.
“When I returned to my books, something deeper had taken root — a belief that purpose is bigger than adversity. God really sustained me through it all. Kahit na ano ‘yung bagyo during the review, talagang kinaya, and unexpectedly, nakapag-top pa sa board exam,” she shared.
For Fermina, opportunities that followed after being the Top 12 CPALE passer weren’t just achievements — they were confirmations that resilience and faith do not go unnoticed.
Fermina delivers her speech while holding her Most Outstanding Accounting Student of the Year recognition, reflecting her faith, sense of purpose, and commitment to help her family and others.
“I want to pay it forward. That is also because of the education and confidence SM Foundation instilled in me. I follow the 3Ds: Discover, Develop, Demonstrate. Discover your purpose, develop your skills, and demonstrate them to others,” she said.
Looking Ahead
Shaping the next chapter of their lives, Steven envisions a career that uplifts his family. Fermina, now hired in a firm owned by a former SM Scholar, dreams of teaching and mentoring young dreamers who are just like her. Meanwhile, Angle seeks to grow professionally and inspire those still navigating their path.
Imagining the students they once were—nervous, hopeful, unsure of what lay ahead, Steven would offer a calm reassurance: “Everything will turn out fine. Don’t let fear consume you.” Fermina would wrap those insecurities in courage, whispering that no fear, no doubt, no circumstance could ever define what was possible. And Angle, with the patience born of experience, would gently advise: “Keep working hard, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing enough.”
In their stories, fear becomes something that is faced and eventually outgrown. What once felt like uncertainty turns into proof that persistence can reshape any beginning. For SM Scholars and for every young dreamer still searching for direction, their journeys show that greatness is not reserved for the certain or the fearless, but for those who continue showing up with faith, discipline, and heart. Each step forward, even the small and difficult ones, becomes part of a larger story of purpose taking shape.