Mapapa-sana all ka na lang at mapapa-hanga sa galing ng Filipino Math Genuis na si Farrell Eldrian Wu na nakapagtapos ng pag-aaral sa isang top University sa United States at may perfect grade point average (GPA) na 5.0 pa!

Sa Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ang 5.0 ay perfect mark, ibig sabihin ang estudyante ay nakakuha ng “A” sa lahat ng kanyang subjects.

Nag-tapos siya ng Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering (MIT Schwarzman College of Computing) at Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics (MIT Sloan School of Management). Bukod dito, nakumpleto niya rin ang minor sa economics sa MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

Pero, kahit si Wu na MIT graduate, aminadong nahirapan mag-adjust sa pag-aaral ngayong pandemya.

At hindi lang siya nag-aaral, nagtuturo rin siya. Si Wu ang founder at head instructor para sa for-credit student-run classes sa MIT Electrical Engineering at Computer Science department.

Sabi ni Wu, ang department classes ay mayroong 6.S087 (Mathematical Methods for Multidimensional Statistics) at 6.S095 (Intermediate Probability Problem Solving).

Isa sa mga major challenges na naranasan niya dulot ng pandemiya ang pag-adjust sa online format. Kailangan niya i-prepare ang kanyang mga lecture slides at gumamit ng Zoom para maturuan niya ang kapwa niyang mga mag-aral, kung saan the number of students who signed up had increased.

Pero kahit siya nahirapan, pinagpatuloy niya ito para matulungan niya ang daan-daang mga estudyante. Dahil dito
puno siya ng pasasalamat.

“There were also many more students who signed up compared to a typical year, and many needed more support, so I adjusted by providing more office hours. While this experience made for a difficult six weeks, I felt very fulfilled afterwards for reaching over 400 students with this initiative,” giit ni Wu.

Para naman sa kanyang online classes, sabi ni Wu na mapalad siya at itong kanyang nataguyod.

Isa pa sa mga challenges na kanyang naranasan ang mga logistical challenges.

“There were logistical challenges I would never forget, such as having to move eight times over a twelve month period due to dorm closures and temporary housing arrangements,” sabi Wu sa isang email para sa GMA News Online.

Natulungan naman siya ng MIT community para ma-adress ang problema.

Ibinahagi rin ni Wu ang kanyang ibang study habits kung saan nag-aadvance study siya sa mga subjects na “most interested in” siya para ma-apply niya sa kanyang future studies.

“I later on realized that as long as I set a realistic yet high bar for my learning and understanding, typically to the point of being able to explain each concept to a peer and understanding the range of its real-life applications, good grades would follow,” saad ni Wu.

Wu joined the MIT commencement for Class of 2021, held last June 4 (US Time), online due to pandemic restrictions.

Malaking pasasalamat si Wu sa MIT community at sa kanyang mga Filipino family at mga kaibigan na naachived niya ang mga ito. “It takes a village to raise a child,” binanggit niya.

“To this end, this accomplishment is largely dedicated to my family, teachers, mentors, friends, and the Filipino community who gave me countless opportunities to discover and develop my quantitative talents. Hanggang sa muli, para sa bayan!” sabi niya.

Binati din si Wu ng ating Bise Presidente, Leni Robredo na personally kilala siya.

“It was no surprise that he got into the best Ivy League schools in the US when he applied for college. Also no surprise that he chose MIT, which is one of the most difficult to enter into. I knew he would excel even in MIT but to have a perfect GPA is no mean feat. Congratulations,” sabi ni Robredo sa kanyang Facebook.

Pagkatapos niya mag-graduate, balak ni Wu sumabak sa isa sa mga pinakabigating fintech companies sa buong mundo bilang isang “full-time journey” sa finance industry.

“I was fortunate that despite the pandemic, I was able to receive employment offers from multiple companies,” sabi ni Wu.

Advise naman ni Wu para sa mga Filipino may balak pumasok ng kolehiyo sa United States na tanggapin ang “diverse at supportive community,” kung saan ito ay isang karakter ng lahat na top American universities.

“These universities make it a goal to attract students from a wide range of backgrounds, in terms of their upbringing, culture, academic interests, and extracurricular pursuits, so it is important not to waste this component of a holistic education,” saad niya.

Dagdag pa niya na kapag pipili ng kolehiyo sa US, dapat maghanap ng institusyon na naka-allign sa kanilang mga values at isang komuninad na tumutulong sa inyo lumago kaysa pumili ng mga kolehiyo dahil lang sa kanilang rank o prestige.

(GMA News)

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