On Friday, Aaron Sablay was named Finals MVP after delivering an impeccable performance in the gold medal match, helping De La Salle University clinch the inaugural UAAP Esports VALORANT Tournament title.
But outside of his success in the collegiate esports scene, Sablay is also excelling academically.
In an exclusive interview, the third-year Applied Economics student told Tiebreaker Times that he was a top student when he graduated from senior high school at De La Salle Lipa in Batangas. It was also during his senior high school years that he began playing VALORANT.
As his passion for VALORANT grew, he made it a point to ensure that he never neglected his academics.
At La Salle, he has been a consistent First Honor Dean’s Lister and is on track to graduate Summa Cum Laude.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Unsurprisingly, his parents have always been supportive of his journey in the competitive VALORANT scene.
“Honestly, wala naman sila masyadong comment. Sabi lang nila parang ‘Go mo lang.’ Ganun. Kasi I think I proved to them naman na kaya kong i-balance yung both academics and paglalaro ng VALORANT. Wala naman silang naging comment na negative. They are really very supportive sa ginagawa ko,” he shared.
“They were actually as excited as me when I said na may UAAP VALORANT kasi they also see yung hard work ko, yung effort na pinuput-in ko dito. There are times na di ako makakauwi sa Lipa kasi I have practice with the team. Nakita nila yung hirap ko kaya very excited sila,” added Sablay.
His parents were present at the Arete on Friday to show their support as Viridis Arcus entered the playoffs of the UAAP VALORANT Tournament as the top seed.
If VALORANT becomes a regular fixture in the UAAP, La Salle fans can look forward to more of his MVP performances, as Sablay also plans to pursue graduate studies after completing his undergraduate degree.
