GENUISES FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES
Yumi Briones BY TIFFANY LAO “MY LIFE is kind of like a storybook,” Yumi says, amazed at how the events of her life seem to have fallen into perfect place. After four years in Ateneo, Batch 2020 Class Valedictorian and Program Awardee for Chemistry Yumi Briones (4 BS CH) is graduating summa cum laude. Her long list of achievements also includes being recognized as the 2019 Most Outstanding Jose Rizal Model Student of the Philippines and doing innovative work in green energy and anti-cancer research.
One of these was a newfound love for applying her learnings in different contexts. After meeting three other exchange students from the Philippines, she was invited to join her first business competition. While their team did not place, it gave her a glimpse of the impact her field could have on the world. “That was something I never thought I would do as a Chem major. I thought that at most I’d do science competitions...That [competition] was the first thing that launched everything else,” says Yumi.
Yet for a student as decorated as she is, what may surprise some is that when it comes to her plans for the future, Yumi is still in the process of figuring things out.
Back home, Yumi began finding more ways to challenge what she could do with what she was learning. One of her most memorable experiences was joining the Schneider Go Green Competition with her blockmate Gabby Ozaeta. Together they created Rainshine, a panel that draws energy from the sun and rain to address the challenge of creating sustainable cities. The duo bested thousands of teams around the world, earning one of the seven coveted slots in the global finals.
A quest for purpose Yumi was nervous in her first year of college. Ateneo was massive; it had a large campus, dozens of different courses, and thousands of students she did not grow up around. “I didn’t get into a lot of outside stuff. I really focused on my academics and getting used to the climate here in school,” she recalls. Naturally, this meant a lot of time spent buried in books, but in Yumi’s case, it only allowed her love of learning to flourish. “My main motivation was to work hard to learn things,” shares Yumi. Soon enough, it was exactly that love that put her on a path to exploring her full potential. Third year brought with it an opportunity to go on a Junior Term Abroad, and the chance to learn in a new environment gave her a reason to take the plunge. Yumi was awarded a full scholarship to the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the experience allowed her to discover new passions outside of her comfort zone.
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Joining these competitions was an exciting avenue for Yumi to expand her knowledge outside the classroom setting, but it was also a very personal experience that spurred her on to find true direction. Where the journey leads The day Yumi received news of her scholarship to NUS was also the day her grandfather passed away after a battle with lung cancer. “I took it as a sign that things are lining up, and it really pushed me to strive to get into cancer research,” she says. With this in mind, she took her first step in the field through her thesis, where she tested the effectiveness of ampalaya capsules in enhancing medicine used to combat colon cancer.
In the summer of 2019, she took a summer internship with the Philippine Genome Center. With the help of two physics majors, she researched cancer-stimulated protein networks and had their work published in the journal Workshop on Computation: Theory and Practice 2019. Looking to the future, Yumi is convinced that the path she is choosing is worthwhile. She plans to finish her master’s degree in chemistry in Ateneo, before taking her PhD in Singapore, which is known for its advanced cancer research facilities. “Medical research, pharmaceutical research, drug development—things like that...That has really [become] my advocacy,” she says. Piecing together the different events that defined her college life, Yumi realized that her love for learning was reinforced in unexpected ways. Finding new passions and going out of her comfort zone allowed her to discover more about who she is and who she aspires to be. “Now, I see myself as less about academics and more about [gaining] experience from everything and trying to find the place I really flourish in,” she says. Yumi’s story has just begun, and her heart brims with excitement about what the future holds: “I really don’t have everything figured out. Going back to all those times where things just happen coincidentally, I take it as a sign. I’m just like everyone else figuring things out along the way.”
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