July 28, 2026
Gratitude, optimism at Tzu Chi scholars’ exit interview
By Joy Rojas
It only seemed like yesterday when Nhorhabib Acraman, Marry Joy de Leon, and Zara Vladislav Javier were at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus (BTCC) in Sta. Mesa, Manila, anxiously facing Tzu Chi volunteers as applicants to the foundation’s Educational Assistance Program.
On July 25, 2026, Acraman, de Leon, and Javier returned to BTCC to face volunteers again, only this time, it was for their respective exit interviews.
A requirement of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the exit interview involves scholars sharing in writing and through in-person talks with a Tzu Chi volunteer their overall experience with the scholarship program. Of the 74 scholars who attended, six are from Grade 10, 12 are from Grade 12, and 56 are from fourth-year college.
A Tzu Chi scholar from Lakan Dula High School from Grade 6 to 10, Zara Vladislav Javier is grateful for the program’s numerous benefits. From its regular rice subsidy to the free prescription glasses she and other scholars received from Tzu Chi’s tie-up with Japanese optical retailer Paris Miki, the 15-year-old has saved her father, a photo album maker, from additional expenses while contributing to the needs of her family.
Even if they don’t personally attend Tzu Chi’s Humanity classes, the family has been impacted by their universal lessons. Javier’s mom, Isabel Alhambra, who joins the monthly classes with her daughter, will discuss what they learned on their way home, and later share the teachings with the rest of the family.
“Helping unconditionally,” said Javier of the lesson that touched her the most.
“And filial piety,” reminded her mom. “Number One.”
Alhambra credits Tzu Chi’s Humanity classes for transforming her daughter from a shy student to a more vocal and active participant. “I was inspired by my batch of scholars,” explained Javier, who now attends senior high at St. Jude College. “I realized that I just can’t stay put. I need to improve and overcome my shyness.”
If Nhorhabib Acraman remembers his journey as a Tzu Chi scholar very well, it’s because it nearly didn’t happen. The fifth of six children of a single mother who made a living cooking chicken pastil and peeling garlic, Acraman decided during the pandemic that he was no longer pursuing his senior high education. “I didn’t have a gadget and couldn’t keep up with online classes,” he said.
Still, he applied for a Tzu Chi scholarship, and promptly forgot about it until he received the call that would change his life. “At first, I thought it was a wrong number. Then [former Tzu Chi Charity Department Social Welfare Officer Almalyn Dinampo] called again and introduced herself,” he said. “I was encouraged to study again.”
Six years after that fateful call, Acraman, 25, is set to graduate cum laude from his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education (major in Home Economics) from the Technological University of the Philippines. For now, goals are to lift his family out of poverty and to fulfill his mother’s dream of visiting Mecca, Saudi Arabia, regarded as the holiest city in Islam.
“In terms of beliefs, there’s no difference,” he said in explaining Buddhism to his Muslim mother. “Whatever I learn from Islam is also what Tzu Chi teaches me.”
To Tzu Chi volunteers and donors, he said, “Please continue to give opportunities to those in need and those who have nothing in life. Don’t give up on them. Instead, may you increase your number of scholars.”
For 23-year-old Marry Joy de Leon, who is graduating cum laude with a Bachelor in Filipino Education at the Philippine Normal University, the exit interview brought back fond memories of her three years as a Tzu Chi scholar. She’ll miss the bond she formed with her fellow scholars, and the times she assisted Tzu Chi volunteers in their activities.
“I’ll also miss eating vegetables,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t eat vegetables but because of Tzu Chi, I now do.”
Being a Tzu Chi scholar was a high point in her difficult and deprived life. Coming from a broken family, she and her two brothers were raised by their grandparents and lived off their grandfather’s meager pension. They also relied on the earnings of their sari-sari (convenience) store, which she helped run with her scholarship allowance.
Regrettably, her grandparents are not around to witness de Leon’s milestone and her dream to become a teacher. She lost her grandmother in 2021 and her grandfather last March.
Still, she can say with much certainty that she did them proud. “My grandfather used to whisper to me ‘Even just a cum laude,’” said de Leon in tears. “Even if he’s no longer with us, I know he’s very happy. All my sacrifices were worth it.”
On July 25, Tzu Chi scholars cap their years under the foundation’s Educational Assistance Program with an exit interview at the Harmony Hall of Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Now with a job in Makati, Tzu Chi Iloilo scholar Daniella Diane Simran (left) drops by BTCC for her exit interview with Tzu Chi volunteer Elvira Chua.
Marry Joy de Leon fills out an exit interview form while waiting for her turn to speak with a Tzu Chi volunteer.
Tzu Chi scholar Zara Vladislav Javier (left) explains her transformation from a timid student to a more vocal one to Tzu Chi Deputy CEO Woon Ng (second from right). A Tzu Chi scholar from Grade 6 to 10 at Lakan Dula High School, she is now enrolled in senior high at St. Jude College.
Nhorhabib Acraman (left) tells Tzu Chi volunteer Joy Gatdula (center) that he decided to stop studying when he received a call about his Tzu Chi scholarship application. Six years later, he is graduating cum laude from his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education (major in Home Economics) from the Technological University of the Philippines.
While waiting for their exit interviews, scholars at a holding area drop their pledges for Davao Occidental earthquake victims in a donation box.
While waiting for their exit interviews, scholars at a holding area drop their pledges for Davao Occidental earthquake victims in a donation box.
While waiting for their exit interviews, scholars at a holding area drop their pledges for Davao Occidental earthquake victims in a donation box.
In her exit interview, Marry Joy de Leon says she will miss the bond she developed with fellow scholars and Tzu Chi volunteers.
At the recent 2026 Tzu Chi Scholars’ Camp, Nhorhabib Acraman (second from left) receives his graduating scholars’ certificate from Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez, Abigail See of the John and Mary Kaw Charitable Foundation, Inc., and Tzu Chi Davao Deputy OIC Mei Yuen.