Story by Christian Given Magaling, Visual Communications Officer
When Steffanie C. De Juan began searching for scholarships, she was thinking about more than her own college education. As the eldest of three children, she wanted to pursue her dreams without making it harder for her younger siblings to pursue theirs.
Her father had lost his job, and the family was carefully stretching its resources. Studying at the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu would mean leaving home in Leyte and finding a way to cover tuition, accommodation, and daily expenses.
Even allowing herself to want that future came with questions.
“I don’t know if it seems selfish na parang kahit naghihirap na kami gusto ko pa rin itong gawin,” she recalls. “Eldest pa po ako sa aming magkakapatid. Kaya naisip ko kung makakapag-aral po ako, dapat makakapag-aral din po yung mga younger siblings ko.”
Today, Steffanie is pursuing Chemical Engineering at USC as a Shell PHILDEV scholar. Getting there required changes in direction, difficult financial decisions, and the support of people who helped her keep going. Along the way, her understanding of what she could become, and what she could give to others, began to grow.
Finding a path of her own
In Grade 4, when an assignment asked Steffanie what she wanted to become, she wrote down the answer she often heard at home: a lawyer.
Her parents were closely involved in their children’s lives, and law was the future they envisioned for her. But as Steffanie grew older, she began recognizing interests of her own.
She discovered an aptitude for mathematics in high school. Engineering caught her attention, although she knew little about the profession. She also considered accountancy, eventually applying to USC’s Accountancy program after taking the STEM strand in senior high school.
She was accepted, but admission came with a requirement: summer bridging courses that would mean additional expenses for her family.
With money already tight, she had to reconsider. Around the time she was preparing to graduate from senior high school, she began researching Chemical Engineering.
The decision brought her back to an earlier interest, this time with a practical reason to explore it further. Her plans were changing, but she was still looking for a way to continue her education.
The cost of being away
Moving to Cebu meant adjusting to life away from her family. The sea journey from Leyte made a daily commute impractical, so she stayed in a dormitory near USC.
When she arrived, enrollment periods were already closing. During an interview, a dean noticed her academic record and encouraged her to apply for a scholarship. She received financial assistance that helped her begin her studies.
Still, tuition was only one part of the cost. Dormitory fees, transportation, school requirements, and everyday needs continued to weigh on the family.
Steffanie understood that those expenses came with sacrifices. Her father had first gone overseas in 2008 to work in construction and provide for the family. His work helped meet their needs, but it also meant missing time with his children.
“Palagi ko pong naririnig sa father ko na marami siyang namimiss na mga panahong kasama sana siya sa aming buhay,” Steffanie shares.
During the pandemic, he tried to find work in Leyte so he could stay closer to them. For nearly two years, he searched for opportunities while the family relied on savings. As those savings dwindled, he eventually returned overseas.
An aunt also helped finance part of Steffanie’s education. Her parents gradually repaid that assistance while continuing to support her studies.
Each source of help allowed her to move forward. But the financial pressure remained.
Support that reached beyond tuition
Steffanie learned about the Shell PHILDEV scholarship through an alumnus who shared an announcement in a group chat.
She hesitated at first. She already had a partial scholarship and assumed the additional assistance would cover only some of her remaining costs. Still, she applied.
Actually, that time may scholarship na ako pero hindi pa full scholarship. So grinab ko yung opportunity. Kala ko po icocover lang ni Shell yung half ng scholarship, pero laking gulat ko na pati yung miscellaneous fees covered din.
The assistance eased the burden on her family and gave her more room to focus on her studies. As she became more involved in the scholarship community, she also noticed something in the way the support was given.
“Ibang experience po siya kasi dati ako pa nag-uupdate kung kailan yung sa scholarship at ano yung mga kailangan,” she explains. “Pero sila po sa PHILDEV yung nagre-reach out sa amin.”
Being checked on mattered. For a student navigating college away from home, those conversations helped make the support feel personal. Beyond assistance with school expenses, she found people who took an interest in how she was doing.
Learning she did not have to carry everything alone
That sense of connection deepened during the leadership camps.
There, Steffanie met fellow scholars from different provinces and backgrounds. As they shared their experiences, she recognized struggles that resembled her own. She also heard about challenges she had never faced.
“Marami po akong natutunan sa mga kwento sa buhay ng mga co-scholars ko na meron ding pinagdadaanan pero patuloy pa rin sa laban at pangarap sa buhay,” she says.
Their determination gave her a thought to hold on to:
“Kung kaya nila, kaya ko rin.”
Finding encouragement in their stories also helped her become more comfortable sharing her own. Opening up had not come easily. She had worried about being judged or misunderstood.
“Natutunan kong mag-open ng problems ko,” she says. “Noong una ayaw ko talagang mag-share.”
As trust developed, she found people she could turn to for advice and reassurance. The conversations gave her space to acknowledge difficulties she had previously kept to herself.
The week-long leadership camp also brought experiences she would remember with gratitude. It was her first time joining a leadership activity of that length and an opportunity to travel alongside fellow scholars.
“Thankful din po ako,” she says. “Kahit nakasakay na ako ng eroplano nung five years old ako, amazed pa rin ako makasakay ulit at maka-experience na makabiyahe sa muling pagkakataon.”
For Steffanie, the journey included both the excitement of going somewhere new and the comfort of finding people who understood where she was coming from.
A growing purpose
As her studies progressed, Steffanie developed an interest in waste treatment, energy systems, and particularly water sustainability.
“Water is life,” she says simply.
Through wastewater-related initiatives at school, she has begun exploring how her field can contribute to environmental solutions. It is an interest she hopes to pursue further.
Her plans also include making time for service alongside her career.
Ang dream ko po, kahit nagwo-work po ako at sumesweldo, gusto kong magkaroon pa rin ako ng time na mag-help sa other people. Gusto kong tumulong sa mga nangangailangan.
She already participates in community outreach activities through school. After graduation, she hopes to continue through volunteer work, environmental projects, or initiatives led by NGOs and government organizations.
The details of her future are still taking shape, but helping others is something she wants to carry into it.
Because someone believed
Asked what she would tell her younger self, Steffanie returns to the uncertainty she once felt about pursuing her ambitions.
“Siguro okay lang mag-chase ng dreams mo kahit mahirap siya.”
It is a gentler answer to the question she carried when she first began looking for scholarships: whether she could keep reaching for an education while her family was struggling.
She has continued because of her own effort and the help of others. Her parents, aunt, educators, and scholarship community have each played a part in making that possible.
When she tries to express her gratitude, the words feel insufficient.
“Thank you are not enough,” she says.
She hopes to give that gratitude a continuing purpose through her studies, her future work, and the time she makes for people who need support.
From Leyte to Cebu, Steffanie has been learning how to pursue a dream while staying connected to the people who helped her reach it. Now, as she looks ahead, she wants to extend that same care to others.
“Because someone believes in me,” she says, “the future seems so bright.”
