US envoy to students aiming to pursue college degree abroad: Go for it!

United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson and the graduates of EducationUSA’s College Prep Program happily pose for a group photo during their graduation ceremony inside the US Embassy compound in Manila on Thursday, May 17, 2024. INQUIRER.net photo / LUISA CABATO

MANILA, Philippines — “Do not be the first to tell yourself ‘no’.”

This was the message of United States (US) Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson to Filipino students aiming to pursue a college degree abroad.

In an interview after the graduation ceremony of senior high school students who finished their College Prep Program (CPP) under EducationUSA, Carlson urged students to “take advantage of every opportunity, don’t be hard on your objectives, be flexible, and just do your best.”

READ: 5 Filipino students accepted to US universities with help of EducationUSA

“Go for it; you may not get what you want right out of the box, but it’s worthwhile to try. If you don’t try, you certainly won’t get it,” she said.

Carlson also assured students that it is okay not to know exactly what they want to do with their lives yet.

“And I will say also that sometimes you don’t know what you should want. I’ll repeat that: sometimes you don’t know what you should want. Some students set their sights for particular university, and they don’t get into that particular one, they end up with a different university and realize, ‘wow, if I’ve known about this should have been my first choice all along,’” Carlson added.

The graduation ceremony, held at the US Embassy in Manila on Thursday, marked the culmination of the 18-month-long CPP of 15 senior high school students eyeing spots in universities and colleges in the US.

Out of the 15 graduates, five of them received acceptance letters and are set to embark on a completely different yet exciting college life in the foreign country: Kyle Abello (Princeton University), Matt Sareno (Yale University), Keene Dampal (Dartmouth College), Ellen Fay Ann Yabut (University of Pennsylvania), and Bea San Agustin (University of Southern Mississippi).

The CPP, an initiative from EducationUSA, assists students with their application process, including applying for scholarships and funding from the US.

When asked how the program would benefit the ties between the Philippines and the US, Carlson pointed out “friendship” as the main bond that would strengthen future relations between the two countries.

“The friendship part undergoes everything that we do, so the people to people ties including student programs, student exchanges, are absolutely essential to maintaining that trust and understanding so that we can be partners in prosperity and ironclad allies. So students are big part of our people to people ties,” she said.

“Those formative experiences when you’re younger—I think all of us can remember the friends that we made in college, university, and high school; they stay with you forever. So these bridges that are built between the students in the Philippines and students in the United States are very important as a foundation for the future ties between the United States and the Philippines,” the envoy added.

Carlson also highlighted the energy, commitment, and positivity of the students who graduated from the program.

“It’s really an inspiration to me to be able to interact with them. It gives me goosebumps really to think of the opportunities they have. I’ve been really impressed in all kinds of endeavors that they’re embarking. I also really appreciate the camaraderie that they’ve d