A scholarship that will finance the undergraduate education of an aspiring Atenean has been established through the generosity of one of its student-athletes.
Back in April 25, 2022, Raphaella Ayen Retuta, a graduate of high school with high honors was accepted into Ateneo de Manila University but was unable to make the quota for a university scholarship.
She would send out this tweet to Bea de Leon and Thirdy Ravena — both of whom are her idols.
wasn’t awarded with the scholarship i was aiming for — but glad to know that you want me, ateneo. haay my dream school, in another life đŸ’™
hope u’re proud of me đŸ˜— @_beadel @ThirdyRavenaaa pic.twitter.com/OQEnDEbiYe
— A (@katorsero) April 25, 2022
De Leon, who Retuta admired for her excellence in both academics and volleyball, was able to receive her message and DMd her.
What was the message? The De Leon family wanted to support her in her college education.
After a talk with the school, the Bea de Leon Scholarship was officially established in the Loyola Schools on January 27, 2023 through a Memorandum of Agreement signing ceremony.
The scholarship was created because of De Leon’s desire to pay forward the athletic scholarship she received while studying in Ateneo.
During the event, Retuta expressed her gratitude to the de Leon family, saying that their support challenged her to do well and eventually give back to the community.
In her first semester with Ateneo, Retuta achieved a QPI of 3.92.
De Leon, who currently plays for Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the PVL, graduated from Ateneo in 2018 with a degree in AB Management Economics and is currently finishing her Masters in Sustainability Management.
During her time in Ateneo, she led the Blue Eagles to two championships and was a finalist for the 2018 Ambrosio Padilla Athlete of The Year award.
Through the Bea de Leon Scholarship, Bea hopes that her act of generosity will inspire other successful alumni of Ateneo to do the same and pay it forward to the next generation of students.
