#ProudViscan ranks 5th in the agricultural & biosystems engineers board

Before ending the academic year, VSU is proud to welcome another topnotcher in the December 2024 Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers Licensure Examination.

Engr. Jules Uel Evan Boldo, a Cum Laude graduate of the agricultural and biosystems engineering (ABE) program, secured the fifth spot with a passing rate of 86.44%. He is among the top 10 successful examinees in the Philippines, with the highest rating among the recent board's 1,479 (56.34%) passers.

This 24-year-old first-time taker trod no smooth road to achieve this success. He had to handle exam preparations, work, and the responsibilities he shoulder in his family simultaneously. 

He was brought up in Barangay Punta, Ormoc City, Leyte, and came from a broken family. His father supported him financially only in the early stages of his life but went out of the picture later on. His mother was left alone to raise him and his siblings. 

He finished his junior high school as a class salutatorian and graduated senior high school as a top-performing ABM student at VSU Laboratory High School. He deemed being separated from his family at a young age as challenging and never easy. Yet, it taught him to be independent.

Before senior high school graduation, one of his instructors advised him to take an agriculture-related degree program. Being taught that agriculture is the backbone of the country and to dedicate your knowledge and skills in this field is a noble act, Engr. Boldo decided to take the ABE program.

He was a DOST scholar back then. The scholarship was his main source of allowance, financing all his expenses. However, when COVID-19 happened, the stipend supported not only his studies alone but also sustained his family during the crisis.

Stepping into the breadwinner role

Right after graduation, for four months, he worked as a science research assistant at the VSU Renewable Energy Research Center. He was then transferred to the Department of Economics under one of their projects. He worked there from January to June of 2024. 

Later on, from June to December of 2024, he was transferred and worked at the Intellectual Property Office under the Innovation Office of the Office of the Vice President for Research, Extension, & Innovation (OVPREI).

The wages Mr. Baldo received from his work supply his family’s daily expenses. He also shouldered his sister’s school fees, including her matriculation. 

The aim of managing his work, his family responsibilities, and his extracurricular activities prevented him from effectively enrolling in a review center. He had a lot of absences due to work meetings. He tried watching the recorded review sessions, yet he could only allot a small amount of time for it because of how busy he was. 

His review was stopped for a week last October. His mother got sick, and there was no one to take care of her but him. He also paid her medical fees and bought her medicines for maintenance. Mr. Boldo stated that the event added to the weight and even gave him a hard time bringing his interest in studying back.

“First few months, wala koy gana [magstudy]. I always distract myself from the pressure caused by expectations… It was a gradual approach. Nag-collect usa ko’g reviewer[s] and resources, especially from my bayaws from other universities,” said Engr. Boldo in an interview.

[For the first few months, I lost interest in studying. I always distract myself from the pressure caused by expectations… It was a gradual approach. First, I collected reviewers and resources, especially from my bayaws from other universities.]

The gradual approach created by the #ProudViscan topnotcher began with the collection of materials and the making of self-reviewers out of it. It was followed by his kind, intense level of study. From two hours of studying, he made it to four hours. It was in November that he decided to give his full focus on the review—with no distractions. 

There were times when he got sick but continued to review. He also reached the point of only working half a day to study and allocating the remaining hours to review.

Engr. Boldo explained that it was his family who revealed the news of him ranking fifth. Knowing that he had passed the examination was already enough, so he did not mind looking at the list of the top 10 highest scorers. His family and friends congratulated him on his new life achievement. 

“Tips lang gyud nako nga in situations nga limited ang time, mas nindot nga mag-select na lang ka’g review materials nga ma-fit sa imo situation. Reviewer nga maka-answer ka while nag-learn pud ka… studyhan nimo ang mga choices, imo tagsa-tagsaon,” advised Boldo to the future takers preparing for the licensure examination.

[To those who have limited time to study, my tip is to select review materials that fit your current situation. Choose a reviewer where you can practice answering mock questions and individually study the given choices to learn from them.]

He thanked his family and friends for being his source of motivation and lending him a hand when he needed one. 

He also acknowledged the role of VSU as the foundation for his success.

“Aside from top-quality knowledge and skills, VSU really taught me to be resilient and resourceful. The challenges I had were overcome because of those values,” lauded the #ProudViscan topnotcher.

“I also want to thank God for [giving me] wisdom and strength. It was all I prayed for. To justify all the efforts and to give me strength nga madawat [nako] whatever result ang mogawas,” he added. 

[I also want to thank God for giving me wisdom and strength. It was all I prayed for. To justify all the efforts and to give me strength to accept whatever the results will be.]

#ProudViscan Boldo hopes that his achievement will inspire every Viscan to dream. Not only just to merely dream, but to dream higher. 

“[Through] aiming high, you can afford to have missteps. If you dream for a sky, if ma-fail, naa pa kay clouds, naa pa kay roof. Don't settle for less. You can still land somewhere as sweet as achieving your goals.”

[Through aiming high, you can afford to have missteps. If you dream for a sky, once you fail, you still have the clouds, then the roof. Don’t settle for less. You can still land somewhere as sweet as achieving your goals.]

Now that he is getting his license, Mr. Jules Uel Evan Boldo seeks to widen his work experience in order to get a scholarship to get her master’s degree. He also plans to attain his master's degree outside the country for more opportunities and deep learning.

This article aligns with Sustainable Development Goal No: 4 (Quality Education).

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