Three siblings, children of farmers from a far-flung village in Zamboanga Sibugay, closed 2025 with a triple triumph, passing their respective board exams and turning years of sacrifice into success.
Karen Claire, Nikko Victor, and Michael Jhared Luzon—all graduates of Mindanao State University—carried not only their licenses but the hopes of a family that endured countless hardships.
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| Luzon siblings from Mindanao triumph in board exams in the same year. |
Michael, the sixth child in a family of ten, grew up learning sacrifice early.
Growing up, their father became a shapeshifting superhero—security guard by dawn, farmer by day, tricycle driver by night—while their mother was a weightlifting fairy who carried and cared for the elderly, showing the siblings the true meaning of hard work.
“I could hardly believe how my mother was able to budget a kararampot na kita para sa buong linggo naming pagkain,” Michael recalled.
Many moments pushed him to chase his dreams, including carefully using the same school bag from first grade to high school because, as his father once said, it cost a month’s worth of earnings.
He remembered walking to school in slippers over puddled roads, inking his toe to hide holes in his black goma shoes, sewing his uniforms for repair, and being the only one in senior high without a phone.
To pursue his dream, Michael took the DOST-SEI scholarship examination and passed, opening doors to a priority degree program and opportunities beyond his circumstances.
Despite graduating with honors—Nikko as Cum Laude and Michael as Magna Cum Laude—the siblings delayed their board exams to work and save: Karen in 2022, Michael in 2023, and Nikko in 2024.
With preparation finally complete in 2025, Nikko passed the May 2025 Chemical Engineering Licensure Examination (ChELE), followed by Michael in the September 2025 Psychometrician Licensure Examination (BLEPP), and Karen in the September 2025 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), sealing the family’s shared victory.
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| Photo courtesy: Michael Jhared Luzon |
“During the test, all I could see were my parents’ faces, reminding me why I had to pass,” Michael said.
“When I passed, I cried and told my parents that even if they never took a board exam, it was their hands that sharpened the pencils I used to succeed,” he added.
The Luzons’ inspiring journey was exclusively shared with The Summit Express, honoring farmers, workers, and taxpayers who make education possible.
“Life doesn’t end in one shot,” Michael said.
From a far-flung village in Zamboanga Sibugay to professional success, the Luzon siblings proved that dreams rooted in hard work eventually bloom.
— The Summit Express