by Nancy Q. Echavez
MSU-IIT is again living up to its name as producer of top-notch graduates as shown by the recent PRC Board Exam for Metallurgical Engineering. As this latest feat of the Institute has gone viral, the OPI found a way to gather pieces of information about the top-notch graduates when they were still students.
In a phone talk with their highly respected mentors Dr. Marites Ignacio and Dr. Vannie Joy Resabal, both revealed that they are confident that this year’s graduates will again bring honor to IIT. When asked about Lovelle Rhoy Carino Manpatilan and Wilbert Wales Tidalgo, the two graduates who shared the topmost spot garnering a rating of 88.95%., Dr. Ignacio gladly replied, “Lovelle is a polite, respectful and conscientious student. He is a male version of a “sugar and spice” female; while Dr. Resabal, Lovelle’s thesis adviser, cheerily described Lovelle as an adviser’s dream. He is one who makes sure that he turns in his paper on time, even ahead of time. He is focused on his academics but never neglects to socialize with his friends.
Wilbert, according to Dr. Ignacio, is of a different mould. He is introvert, a bit of a non-conformist, but absolutely brilliant. Dr. Resabal on the other hand, remembers him as one who sports a long, unkempt hair, carefree and extremely shy. But behind that shy exterior, “is an inquisitive mind who does not hesitate to raise questions to the teacher or to the class reporter during class discussions. He also has the propensity to look at things in a different perspective which almost always leads to make complex problems simpler and more understandable to the delight of his classmates,” added Dr. Resabal.
With a score of 85.15%, Kristine Mae Medrano Pazo places 8th in the exam. Dr. Resabal is all praises to Kristine, saying, “Kristine is polite, gentle and soft spoken. Actually she embodies the traits of a dalagang Filipina.” Dr. Ignacio also revealed, “She may be mahinhin and shy, but when she is into something especially in her studies, she is optimistic and tenacious.”
Perhaps the three top-notch graduates differ in some ways but one thing is sure, they have common denominators – intelligence and fortitude!