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CEBUANO Cris Evert B. Lato once again brings pride and honor to Cebu as she represents the province in the 2nd Gokongwei Brothers Foundation-China Scholarship Program (GBF-CSP) the second semester in Shanghai, China.
Lato was among the 40 young achievers selected through a rigorous screening and interview process to participate in a one-year scholarship program in learning Chinese language, economy, culture and politics, said GBF-CSP in a statement.
The program builds on the vision of John Gokongwei Jr., which seeks to help the Philippines progress by giving opportunities to the youth to learn from the success of China.
The first semester of the scholarship program was from July 2009-December 2009 under the Confucius Institute at the Ateneo De Manila University.
The second semester will run from February to July 2010 at the Fudan University in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
?I have high hopes of returning to the country in July armed with the necessary knowledge to write a book on Cebuano-Chinese entrepreneurs. My experience as a reporter inculcated in me the value of information in education people,? said the 23-year-old Lato.
Lato was the business and economics reporter of Cebu Daily News before she joined the program. She was also regional representative of the search for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP), where she led the group in mounting a milestone TOSP program for Central Visayas in 2009.
She graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Mass Communication from the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College in 2007.
The same year, she was awarded The Outstanding Cebuano Youth Leader-College by the Cebu City Youth Development Commission and the Cebu City Government.
She was also one of the Ten Outstanding Students of Central Visayas and went on to represent UP and Cebu as one of the Top 30 Outstanding Students of the Philippines.
A proficient writer, she made it as one of the Top 10 authors of the Kwentong Starfish Awards of the Ayala Foundation, where she relayed her experience as a youth volunteer for non-government organization, Tsinelas Foundation, which gives assistance to children in mountainous and depressed areas in Cebu.
She also represented UP Cebu Tsinelas in the 2007 Search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations.
In 2006, she represented the Philippines in the East Asian Seas Youth Forum in Haikou City, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China, where she became the official representative of the youth delegation and plenary speaker.
Lato graduated valedictorian in elementary and high school. She was a member of various organizations in college among which are socio-cultural group, Bathalan-ong Halad sa Dagang (Bathalad), UP Cebu-based political group, Union of Progressive Students and Youth For Christ.
Lato is joined by lawyer Fritz Ritchie Avila and Ayala Young Leader Elisabeth Baumgart in representing Cebu in the GBF-CSP.
