Celebration Stories!

Leah the Engineer!

Leah Mae Bernabat, a scholar of Mercy in Action, graduated with a Bachelors degree of Science in Civil Engineering last March 2020 and passed the Civil Engineering Licensure Examination in May 2022.

Leah Mae grew up with her parents and 2 siblings in an inner-city area of extreme poverty. Her father was a driver and her mother was a housewife. They would sometimes sell food in the sidewalk to earn extra income to help provide for the family. Leah had seen her parents struggling with the financial burden of sending them to school and providing their school resources. When she was 10 years old, she applied to join the Mercy in Action schooling programme. Her scholarship with Mercy in Action relieved a lot of financial pressure from her parents as her schooling needs and lunches were covered by her sponsorship.

Leah during her time on the schooling programme, aged 13 and 17

Leah Mae dreamed of becoming an Engineer. Her scholarship allowed her to pursue that by covering her tuition fees at University.  

After she graduated College, Leah Mae enrolled in a Review Centre in preparation for her Licensure Examination. However, the board exam schedule was then cancelled because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. While waiting to take the board exam, she applied for a job to help support her parents financially, as they had been badly affected by the pandemic, like many in the Philippines. While she was working, she continued studying in preparation for her board exam.

Eventually, all her hard work, sleepless nights and sacrifices paid off when she passed the bar exam for civil engineering. Finally, we can call her Engr. Leah Mae Bernabat, our very own Mercy in Action scholar. Congratulations Leah, we’re very proud of you!