Ateneo valedictorian: ‘UP summa cum laude, a brilliant Filipina of our time’

As a country renowned for its culture of happiness, why does it seem so difficult for us to wholeheartedly celebrate someone?

Tiffany “Tiffy” Uy is a close friend of mine, and she has just broken the record for having the highest GWA in UP since WWII. (READ: UP student graduates with near-perfect grade average)

That, in itself, is cause for celebration, yet this doesn’t seem to be the case, if the hateful posts and comments spreading throughout social media are to be believed. 

It amazes me how many reasons people can come up with to discredit her and devalue her remarkable feat. There were claims that she was a grade-grubber who would rather write papers for extra credit instead of joining rallies.

There were comments about how she only got those grades because she belonged to a Chinese family, and her strict parents forced her to study. I highly doubt that any of those online commenters had ever even met her before passing harsh judgment on her.

Tiffy is one of the smartest and most hardworking people I know. She’s goal-oriented and determined, so my friends and I knew that if anyone could break that record, it’d doubtlessly be Tiffy. From the stories she has told us, I know that she belongs to a loving family that has been supportive of all of her endeavors.

It frustrates me to see how easy it is for our fellow Filipinos to view such a brilliant feat from a very negative light. I don’t know what motivated the people who had left those harsh words. Perhaps, it was jealousy or ignorance that drove them to say what they said.

Regardless, the racist comments and baseless accusations directed to Tiffy seem to reflect a bitter and shortsighted perception against outstanding students and Chinese-Filipinos, which I sincerely hope is not representative of the views of the countrymen whom I love and respect.

Grades may not be everything, but they’re not nothing, either. I can say with certainty that they are indicative of the hard work and talent of the student who earned them. Tiffy’s grades did not magically appear in front of her. She earned every uno (one) she got, and I am of the opinion that her record-breaking average should be unquestioningly and unabashedly celebrated.

It would be a downright shame to deprive the youth of someone they can look up to simply because, for some reason, certain individuals think that Tiffy doesn’t fit their idea of what a UP valedictorian should be.

Some of the claims of the posts spreading throughout social media are true.

Yes, it is true that grades aren’t everything. Yes, it is true that Tiffy is Chinese by blood. However, it is equally undeniable that Tiffy Uy is a brilliant Filipina of our time, and instead of trying to question something so apparent, we should instead take time to truly celebrate her genius.

Perhaps it is through encouraging and supporting the youth of today that we may look forward to a better future for our country. – Rappler.com 

Ryan Yu took BS Management Engineering in the Ateneo de Manila University. He recently began working at the Department of Finance. He graduated class valedictorian on March 27 with a quality point index (QPI) of 3.99, the highest in recent history. (Watch his valedictory address: Ateneo valedictorian’s speech: Mangahas, bumangon, magtaya)