(A look back on the year that was in Mindanao, and Mindanawons in the national and international scene.)
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 January) — Mindanawon students – individuals and teams – brought honors not only to their schools and hometowns but also the Philippines in 2025.
A Teduray from Upi in Maguindanao del Norte graduated from Yale University in the United States with dual degrees in Bachelor of Science (BS) Physics and BS Mathematics, cum laude. A Moro from Marawi City in Lanao del Sur who excels in Math, Physics, Chemistry and Statistics and has won top awards in these categories in the Olympiads he participated in is now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on full scholarship for college. A Butuanon who finished Anthropology at the Ateneo de Davao University and took up her Masters degree at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium graduated Summa Cum Laude with Congratulations of the Board of Examiners, the highest award that can be bestowed on a student at KU Leuven.
Teduray makes history at Yale
Nathan Wayne Ariston, 22, son of farmer Ernie and pubic school teacher Aimee, is the first alumnus of the Philippine Science High School-Central Mindanao Campus (now PSHS-Northern Mindanao) to have graduated on a full scholarship at Yale.
Ariston finished elementary at the Nuro Central Elementary School in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte.
“(From) Pisay to Ivy League: Nathan Ariston makes history at Yale,” the PSHS System, popularly known as Pisay, proudly announced on its Facebook page on June 18.
“Congratulations, Nathan! Your Pisay family is beyond proud. May your journey continue to inspire young minds to dream bigger than their circumstances and rise beyond every challenge,” it said.
Ariston was also awarded the Howard L. Schultz Prize, which is given to the Yale student who best reflects excellence, inventiveness, and good taste in experimental physics that characterized the brilliance of Professor Schultz.
Schultz was known for his work on atom-smashing devices and the Yale linear accelerator.
Ariston is the first PSHS-Central Mindanao Campus alumnus (he graduated in 2021) to have been accepted in Yale.
Moro at MIT
Another pride of PSHS-Central Mindanao Campus is Mohammad Nur Casib, a 2025 graduate who was hailed as “Nuclear Ambassador” at the 1st International Science Olympiad in 2024, and “Absolute Winner & Gold Medalist” at the 2025 Philippine Physics Olympiad (PPO) held at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños on March 15 to 16.
He won a gold medal along with Ogden Michael Javier of the PSHS Main Campus in Manila but Nur got the “Absolute Winner” title.
The eldest of four children of surgeon Norodin Casib and gynecologist Sittienor M. Gumaos-Casib of the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi City, Nur has been winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in national and international competitions since 2018, when he was 12 years old.
The 19-year-old Meranaw also won as overall champion in the 27th Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO) held at the Far Eastern University in Manila on March 8 and 9.
In 2023, Casib was first runner-up in the PMO, and was second runner-up in 2024 and finally overall champion in 2025.
He was awarded Most Valuable Person (MVP) in the 24th National Statistical Challenge held on February 23 at the UP Diliman School of Statistics, the first time the MVP award was given.
The MVP title is awarded to the highest scorer in written exam. His team from the PSHS-Central Mindanao campus also won as overall champion.
On March 18, Casib received a letter from Stuart Schmill, MIT Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services, informing him he has been accepted to the MIT Class of 2029.
“You stood out as one of the most talented and promising students in an incredibly competitive applicant pool,” Schmill said.
The first Moro to enter MIT, Casib iis pursuing a double major in AI and Chemistry, minor in Physics, according to his father.
Butuanon in Leuven
Gwyneth Marie M. Vasquez, who finished her BA Anthropology at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) in 2023, Summa Cum Laude and Class Valedictorian, finished her Advanced Master in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies (CADES) in 2025 at Leuven.
The AdDU Anthropology Department said Gwen graduated “Summa Cum Laude with Congratulations of the Board of Examiners” and was the only recipient of this distinction in the Faculty of Social Sciences. This is given only to graduates who obtained a weighted percentage of at least 90% in the KU Leuven Grading System.
“The AdDU Anthropology Department is beyond proud of this milestone,” it said.
In her valedictory address on May 6, 2023, Vasquez said: “We can do so much with the privilege we hold. But let’s discard the idea that we simply must translate our privilege into action. To turn this privilege for the benefit of the oppressed, we have to be disturbed by the fact that it exists in society. It should become so unsettling that we will move towards promoting solutions that are bottom-up, and not top-down; it should become so discomfiting that we will place those at the margins at the center of our efforts, instead of using them as a means to achieve our own ends; it should become so upsetting that we will strive for interventions that are grounded in lived realities, and not imagined ones.”
Team Mindanao
In June, the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) announced that its Rocketry Team qualified for the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) 2025 in Midland, Texas in the United States.
The Rocketry team aimed to launch a student-made rocket, “Siklab,” which could reach up to 30,000 feet.
On September 3, the AdDU Rocketry Team won 1st place in the Malaysia Rocket Cansat Competition (MRC) in Perak, Malaysia.
The AdDU Rocketry Team’s rocket “Pompano” was the only competitor from the Philippines among 65 other teams. The “Pompano” rocket’s 100-cm build was also the only rocket to be completely recovered across all categories thanks to the parachute it deployed.
The Rocketry Team is composed of Avery Clyde Dimasuhid (Cansat and Lead), Derrick John Garay (Structures), Clarence James Valenzuela (Structures), Fritzie Mae Maniquez (Cansat), Carlos Leo Panelo (Recovery) and their supervisor, ASE Faculty Wilfredo Pardorla Jr.
In October, the Robotics Team of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) won the championship at the National Winnovation Techfest during the Asian Conference on Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) at Solaire, Manila for their SphygmoSim, an IoT-powered blood pressure training simulator designed for healthcare education.
On November 18, AdDU held a Preparatory Pitch Showcase and Send-off for its representatives to the iSpark International Pitching Competition 2025 .
Two AdDU student teams—Lunhawpax (Industrial Engineering) and SoilBit (Electronics Engineering)— werew officially shortlisted for the Final Round in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province in China.
(The final round was held January 6 with Lunhawpax winning the 1st Prize and SoilBit winning 2nd Prize. The Lunhawpax team members are Cesar Justin Mozar, Chloe Margaux Olmoguez and Samantha Emanuelle Torre with mentors Dr. Ma. Theresa Espino and Engr. Francis Christopher Bation. The SoilBit team members are Dexter Flores, Gabriel James Delgado and Darssy Brixgian Hervias, with mentors Dr. Jenith Banluta and Engr. April Salazar).
On November 20, Team Kuantica of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s (MSU-IIT) College of Computer Studies, received the “Outstanding Project” award at Huawei Developer Competition 2025 Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong for The Atlas Project, a rescue app prototype under the Sustainability Track. The project drew inspiration from recent earthquake experiences and emergency response needs.
“The application’s utility encourages users to report or input situations in their location, such as power outages, structural damages, road blockages, debris, fires, or the need for food and water support services,” explained team leader Lex Ian Cabasag, a second-year BS Computer Science student.
The project is designed to function as a critical emergency tool that utilizes Huawei Cloud technologies to address urgent societal needs.
Other members of Team Kuantica — all second-year BS Computer Science students like Cabasag — are Michael Andre Novela, Desmond Gold Bongcawel, Luke Ryan Ruaya, and Charlson Dale Fabrigar. (Carolyn O. Arguillas, Bong Sarmiento, Violeta M. Gloria and Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
- If we missed out on other individuals or teams, please email editor@mindanews.com. We welcome additions to this list.
