National University once again proved its dominance after registering a 100% overall performance in the August 2021 Sanitary Engineering Licensure Examinations. The Professional Regulation Commission reported that 112 out of 189 takers passed the exam, however, only 4 takers were eligible to be recognized as topnotchers. Nationalians, Delwin Yu (top 1) and Kayrelle Normae Guansing (top 3) both aced the exam with 83.87% and 81.31% respectively.

Engineers Delwin and Kayrelle helped and encouraged each other all throughout, be it in work, fieldwork, and their review. They shared that it was Kaye who pushed Delwin to enroll in NU’s Sanitary Engineering program. Also, being workmates, they would find time to do their assignments and org work. They would use their rest time to review together since their work often required them to travel and hike mountains in the Philippines to find water sources, do pressure monitoring and pipe inspections.

Engr. Delwin Yu, was really determined to get a top spot but admitted that he doubted it when they reached the 3rd day of the examination, “Noong first 2 days ng exam, I was confident na makakapasa ako pero to top hindi. Noong 3rd day, ang hirap ng exam, which is water supply engineering. Ang laking pressure sa amin kasi we work in a water supply company so kelangan naming mag excel doon.”

He said that his parents were his motivation in topping the board exam, “I have always wanted to be a topnotcher so I can show my parents na lahat ng paghihirap nila was not put to waste. I tried my best sa Civil Engineer and Master Plumber licensure exams, but I fell short to top it, kaya dito sa SE (Sanitary Engineer) nag doble kayod ako with the help of Kaye (top 3) rin.”

On the other hand, Engr. Kayrelle Guansing, the breadwinner of her family, said that as a Nationalian working student it was resilience that pushed her to manage all the circumstances that she met along the way. She was able to overcome the challenges: the difficulty in juggling work, school, family and other personal problems. “Naging struggle ko talaga noong nagka Covid ang Mama ko, 2 months siya sa ICU. Thankful ako at survivor siya. Dahil siguro breadwinner ako, gusto ko talagang mag excel lalo sa Sanitary Engineering. Gusto kong mag excel para sa family ko.”

The Nationalian topnotchers have this to say, “As engineers, we can also help by being conscious of our environment. By doing so, we can make the world a better place for everyone.”

Indeed, with determination and resilience, people can make their way to the top. Plus, it pays to have a friend who shares your dreams and pushes you to achieve it.