Online community offers scholarships to young Filipinos ‘who have a gift in math’

Screengrab from YourMathGuru.com

YourMathGuru.com (YMG), a website that initially began as an online community to help others on questions about Mathematics, is offering Filipinos a chance to get scholarships worth about $1.1 million (P49.1 million) a year.

The application process for the Filipino scholars is ongoing and will last until May 31, 2015, Enrico Paolo Bugarin, executive director of the YMG Scholarship Program for the Philippines, said in a statement.

Bugarin said YMG is open to third year and fourth year high school students; high school graduates; and first to third year college students. The applicants, he said, may come from private and public high schools; private higher education institutions (HEIs); and state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Local universities and colleges (LUCs), he said, will also have a chance to submit their own applicants as well as students who are taking up degrees in other sciences are also eligible for the scholarship program.

“Once qualified, the succeeding candidate will be able to obtain the college degree in the field of Mathematics without worrying about the costs,” Bugarin said.

“This is because YMG will cover the tuition fees and miscellaneous expenses. It also includes allowances for meals, payment for books, and dormitory fees,” he added.

Bugarin said YMG will shortlist around 400-500 students before the final evaluation of the top 25 candidates. Selecting the final list of YMG scholars will be done through assessment of documentary requirements, personal interviews, and evaluation of their essays on why they deserve the scholarship.

Applicants who have achievements and awards, highlighted by their outstanding involvement and participation in their respective communities, will have an advantage.

YMG may also hold a Mathematics competition through an Olympiad to help decide on the final list of scholars, one unique way to show that it is an online community that promotes Math by hosting competitions and handing out monetary rewards, said Bugarin.

“YMG and I are looking forward to changing the lives of our Filipino students. We want to use Math as an avenue for improvement in the lives of our scholars. It is also mutually beneficial for us because we believe that their personal development will allow us to encourage more students to pursue the subject even further,” the YMG executive said.

Once the winners are chosen, the names and schools will be published in newspapers throughout the country. The grant will then be coursed through the schools of the YMG scholars. In case the scholar graduates with money left in the scholarship fund, the remaining amount may be awarded to the student as a graduation gift, provided that they complete the course they have enrolled in.

“I hope Filipino students who have a gift in math can take advantage of this opportunity and be able to help families rise from their financial situation,” Bugarin added.

YourMathGuru.com is a website operated by YourMathGuru, Inc., which aims to establish and unite students who share a common love of Mathematics. YMG offers help with algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, analytic geometry, complex variables and combinatorics. Limited assistance is also available for basic physics and chemistry.

For more information on the YMG scholarship, interested parties can visit https://yourmathguru.com/the-ymg-scholarship-program.