Is there a new patron saint of students?
Social media users are “praying” and asking guidance from a freshman student at the University of the Philippines-Diliman who earned a flat “uno” or a 1.00 general weighted average (GWA) for the academic year 2020-2021.
Sachika Azumi Saguisa, a first-year chemical engineering student, caught the local online community’s attention when her school organization Gabay Isko shared the list of university scholars with their grades for the academic year.
According to the post, Sachika earned a GWA of 1.00 in her first semester and the same grade on the succeeding one.
“Undoubtedly, the past two semesters have taken a great toll on the well-being of all students. Academic demands were indeed overwhelming, and requirements caused daily burnouts and breakdowns,” the organization wrote on Facebook.
“Given this, Gabay Isko would like to congratulate and celebrate the wins of all its members by surviving the past year (party hat emoji). We would also like to proudly recognize the extraordinary efforts and hard work of the Academic Achievers in the Academic Year 2020-2021!” it added.
The post about Sachika earned various reactions from online Filipinos. Some are commending the student for passing with flying colors while others resorted to humorous remarks by referring to Sachika as a “saint” to whom students can ask for guidance.
“St. Sachika, hindi kami karapat dapat na magpatuloy sa iyo, ngunit sa isang salita mo lamang ay tatalino na ako,” a Facebook user wrote in the comments section. It has earned 3,100 laughing reactions so far.
“Saint Sachika Azumi Saguisa, Patron Saint of Unos, pray for us. Sana all favorite ni Lord hahahaha,” another online user commented. It has earned 1,300 laughing reactions.
“Aba ginoong Santa Sachika, napupuno ka ng brain cells, gabayan niyo po kaming mahilig sa chika..” quipped a different Facebook user.
“St. Sachika Azumi, patron saint of uno, please bless me,” commented another Filipino.
In UP’s grading system, 1.00 is the highest while 5.00 is the lowest.
Sachika said she “didn’t expect” to receive a flat one but added that she had “worked for those grades.”
“Some of the comments were very funny! Lahat kami nagtatawanan sa bahay, sobrang witty niyo! Some of the comments rin were sweet, nagpapasalamat ako sa support niyong lahat,” she told The Philippine STAR.
“Nakakawala ng pagod! My family and friends are also overwhelmed sa support, especially my mom, who knows exactly what I’ve been through, lalo na when I didn’t have friends yet,” Sachika added.
The freshman entered college amid the COVID-19 pandemic in a distance learning setup. She admitted that she struggled to find friends but had eventually developed connections and kept open communication with her professors.
Sachika graduated from the CARAGA Regional Science High School with the highest honors, where she took up the STEM and ABM strand.
STEM refers to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics strand while ABM refers to the Accountancy, Business, and Management strand.
She was not able to finish her units in the ABM strand which prompted her to take chemical engineering in college.
Sachika also shared that she had never dreamt to be an “achiever” despite her academic success.
“I value efficiency among others because ‘work smart, not hard’ has always been my motto. You don’t have to spend your entire day studying,” she said.
