Here is the second batch of UP Diliman (UPD) alumni who topped the licensure examinations in 2022.

The UP Diliman Information Office (UPDIO) sent email questions to these topnotchers to learn their reactions upon learning they topped their exams, the impact of being a topnotcher on their job applications, and their status in their respective industries or sectors.

Christian Jimenez Basa. In the October 2022 Metallurgical Engineer Licensure Examination, all UPD examinees passed, three took the top three spots, with Basa topping the exam with an 84.65 percent rating.

“My parents and I could not believe it at first, but gradually realized that I really made it. I was joking with my friends before the exam that I would treat them if I became the topnotcher, and I lost quite a lot of money from that,” Basa said.

A metallurgical engineer at Apex Mining Co., Inc. since January, he assists with some of the company’s ongoing projects, analyzing data from previous tests and operations while researching improvements and methods to increase production.

Basa graduated cum laude in 2022. While being top 1 in the board exam was a plus point in his favor, ultimately factors like work experience and skills were more important to potential employers.

“Though it did help, I think most companies are more interested in experience, technical skills, training attended, and most importantly character and interpersonal skills,” he said. “There will always be an opportunity to prove yourself to everyone and we should give it all we have when that moment finally comes. Sometimes we may not be at our best and feel that the world is against us, but we must not lose focus and the hope for a better tomorrow,” Basa concluded.

Ira Louise Fernandez Cayanan. Cayanan topped the July 2022 Interior Designer Licensure Examination with an 88.25 percent rating.

Cayanan, who graduated cum laude in 2019, learned the news from a chat message with one of her former professors. 

“I was ecstatic. I did not even sleep that night because of the sense of fulfillment and from replying to everyone congratulating me,” she said.

Topping the licensure examination definitely did open up opportunities for her future projects. She said some of her high school classmates were inquiring about her interior design services.

“The greatest impact on me was having that great confidence in the Lord. The Lord used this experience to assure me of my competence and that He will definitely provide, and so far, I am surprisingly doing better than expected,” Cayanan said.

Cayanan is currently a freelance interior designer. She handles projects from space design, materials and accessories sourcing, site supervision, and coordination.

Arianne Joyce Anselmo Dameg. Dameg was one of three who topped the May 2022 Civil Engineer Licensure Examination, with a 93.95 percent rating.

“It was past 1 a.m. when my mom went to my room and woke me up, telling me that the results were already out… I was utterly surprised seeing my name on top,” Dameg said.

A consistent university scholar, Dameg graduated magna cum laude in 2020. Still, she never expected to clinch the top spot.

“I never experienced becoming a top scorer in any of the mock exams administered by the review center I enrolled in. Therefore, topping the actual exam was truly the least we expected,” Dameg said.

After topping the board, she received a long line of job offers.

“It was like seeing a lot of food, waiting on the dining table for me to feast on,” she said. “I had two months to weigh all the job offers by different private engineering firms and the opportunity to work in the higher office of DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), and I ended up choosing the latter,” recounted Dameg.

Currently, Dameg is working as a civil engineer at the DPWH Central Office where “I am part of the technical staff of Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain. Our office supervises the implementation of the majority of the infrastructure flagship projects of the Department, as well as the projects by the Regional Project Management Office for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” Dameg said.