When met with perseverance, opportunity can truly change lives
A recent study shows that about 81 percent of Filipino senior high school graduates are able to continue to college. However, roughly 35 percent of them fail to complete their degree, largely due to financial constraints and other uncertainties.
This reality is familiar to Gerald Mallari and Carlo Kristian Napucao. Once faced with the same challenges, both found hope through the SM College Scholarship Program.
Today, their journeys have come full circle: from being scholars of the program to becoming part of the very institution that once supported them.
For Gerald Mallari, a civil engineer and now an assistant project manager at SM Engineering Design and Development Corp., college once seemed out of reach.
“I didn’t expect that I would be given the chance to study at a prestigious school because I really thought I would not make it past high school,” Gerald recalled, adding that his father made a living buying and selling furniture, as his mother sold banana cue to support their family.
Despite life’s challenges, the parents of Gerald Mallari (center) supported their son’s college education. Through the SM College Scholarship Program, Mallari finished civil engineering at the National University (NU).
“I was already planning to work, but my parents pushed me to continue my studies.”
Government scholarships had helped him up to high school, but it was the SM Foundation that became his lifeline in college. With their support, Gerald pursued civil engineering at National University.
Mallari (first from left) with his fellow SM scholars from NU
Carlo Kristian Napucao shared the story of Mallari.
His father worked as a sewer laborer, and his sister gave up schooling to help the family.
“The scholarship from SM Foundation gave us hope that I could be the first college degree holder in our family and eventually give us a better life,” Carlo shared how he felt when he became an SM Scholar.
But the road was far from easy. He commuted six hours daily from Bulacan to Manila, surviving on just P200 a day, most of it spent on fares. For five years, he wore the same polo barong, a symbol of his persistence and humility.
“That barong became sentimental to my journey. I even had it signed by my batchmates and professors during graduation. I still have it in my closet,” he beamed with pride.
Carlo keeps the only polo barong he wore in college, adding that this has become a symbol of his persistence and humility.
Lessons learned outside the four walls of school
Both scholars agree that being part of the SM Foundation’s scholarship program meant more than financial support. It is during their time as scholars that they fully embraced the value of discipline, resilience, and heart for service.
For Gerald, the experience of working in different areas of the SM store during his vacation, both the back office and the selling floor, taught him the value of hard work and collaboration.
“My fellow scholars and I have come to realize that those who worked in those areas were among the people behind SM’s success, and we became a part of it. That was one of the things SM did to prepare us for the professional world,” he reflected.
For Carlo, his years as a scholar tested not only his endurance but also his faith. Despite enduring illness and even battling cancer after graduation, he held on to the values the scholarship instilled: hope, gratitude, and perseverance.
Carlo Napucao becomes the first in his family to earn a college degree. Proud of his SM Scholar roots, he returns to SM as a property officer at SM Fairview towers.
“As soon as I received the news that I was accepted as a scholar, I already knew that somehow in the future, I would have to work for SM, not because I was required to, but because it’s the only way I can express my gratitude,” he said.
Full circle
Today, both Gerald and Carlo have come full circle, now thriving professionals within the SM Group.
Gerald, seven years into his career at SM Engineering Design and Development Corp., continues to grow while helping develop the very projects that shape communities.
“We handle malls, schools, commercials… and I’ve worked under various departments. Handling projects helps us grow, and the training ensures we don’t get stuck with what we already know,” he shared.
Continuously growing with SM, Mallari shares handling projects helps his professional development.
Meanwhile, Carlo, now a Property Administration Officer at SM Fairview Towers, sees his work as a different kind of homecoming.
“During my first day at SM, it felt surreal knowing that all the pieces fit together. After everything I went through, it’s like I got back home to where I started,” he shared.
Napucao recalls his first day working at SM, saying ‘After everything I went through, it’s like I got back home to where I started.’
On October 23, SM Foundation will honor 200 new SM Scholars from the graduating batch of 2024–2025—its largest and most decorated cohort yet, with eight summa cum laude, 33 magna cum laude, 46 cum laude, and 15 scholars with academic distinction.
Through these achievements, the SM Foundation continues to champion its goal of spreading social good through education, a mission reflected in the journeys of Gerald and Carlo.
