Teen summa cum laude breaks UP’s 63-yr. postwar record

(Updated) John Gabriel Pelias, 19, is graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Math and a general weighted average (GWA) of 1.016 — breaking the previous record at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman held by a professor emeritus in political science for the past 63 years. In the UP grading system, “1.0" is the highest possible grade a student can get in a subject, while “5.0" is a failing grade. In his entire stay in the UP Institute of Math, Pelias got 1.0’s in all his subjects except for only three subjects in which he got the second highest possible grade of 1.25. Prof. Emerenciana Yuvienco Arcellana, Ph.D. — widow of the late National Artist in Poetry Francisco “Franz" Arcellana — had held the previous record with a GWA of 1.02 upon graduating in 1948. The closest anyone else got to her record was in 1982 when Dr. Gertrude Gwendale M. Baron, M.D. garnered a GWA of 1.03 graduating with a B.S. Biology degree — until Pelias came along. Pelias will be this year's speaker on behalf of UP Diliman's graduating batch this April 17. Other summa cum laude graduates also include Carla Sia (Business Administration), Merriam Villegas (Linguistics) and Nikki Yazon (Chemical Engineering). Pelias gets to graduate summa cum laude despite being one of UP's poorest scholars. His family income is less than P80,000 per year so he receives subsidy from UP on top of his tuition scholarship. For several semesters, his scholarship money supported his family. The record-breaking academic achievement of Pelias was announced on the Facebook page of Jose Wendell Capili, assistant vice president for Public Affairs and director of Alumni Relations, University of the Philippines System. Capili praised Pelias: “He has unwavering focus. Maturity beyond his years. I see him discussing philosophy and political theory with former UP President [Francisco] ‘Dodong’ Nemenzo. Ako ang nag-no-nose bleed, hindi siya! [I’m was the one having a nosebleed, not him!]" Capili said Pelias is a protégé of former UP President Dodong Nemenzo, Math Prof. Fidel Nemenzo, and College of Science Associate Dean Marian Roque, Math Professor Noli Reyes and UP Institute of Math Director Joey Balmaceda — all of whom Pelias considers his “second parents, mentors, guardians." He said Pelias is a true “iskolar ng bayan" (nation’s scholar) who is ready to give back to the country and institution that supported his academic pursuits by teaching at his alma mater when classes resume in June. — VS, GMA News Editor's note: In a previous version of this story, the title erroneously stated it was a "65-yr. old record." Also, that Emerenciana Yuvienco Arcellana graduated summa cum laude in 1948. Corrections supplied by the source, Jose Wendell Capili, after cross-checking his previous information with UP registrar Pamela Constantino, whose staff had to go to the university archives for the facts on record. Capili further said in supplying GMA News Online with the corrections: "Before the war, in 1927, Exequiel Sevilla graduated from UP with a BS business administration degree, summa cum laude with a general weighted average of 1.0."