Cebu student wins in int’l sci fair

CEBU, Philippines - A student from the Cebu City National Science High School received a special award during the 2016 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF).

Arianwen Ledesma Rollan, 17 is the first Cebuana to join the IISEF which held its 2016 fair in Phoenix, Arizona, last March.

The IISEF is the world's largest science fair competition for high school students. It was founded by the Society for Science and the Public in 1950 and has been sponsored by the Intel Corporation since 1997.

Every year, around 1,500 students from different countries compete in the fair for scholarships, tuition grants, internship, scientific field trips, and prizes.

The first IISEF fair was held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and is now rotated between Los Angeles, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Phoenix, Arizona.

Although did not get grand prize, her research about Malunggay seeds as a remedy for tumors, was awarded as the first special prize and won her $1,000 given by the Qatar Foundation Research and Development.

"All of these just started as a school project. My ultimate goal was just to go to Tagaytay and participate in the National Science and Technology Fair organized by DepEd. I never thought that I would reach IISEF because before, I was just watching and reading about it from the Internet. I thought that I never would have a chance to go that far," she said.

The cancer that caused the death of her grandmother pushed her to find a natural agent against cancer. Her parents Efren and Gilma also supported her in her dream to become a researcher.

Arianwen believes with hard work and determination anything can possible and that one should never underestimate his or her capabilities.

"I believe that Intel ISEF was an opportunity for me to challenge myself to think beyond. It made me harness my skills as a student researcher but most importantly I was able to contribute to the community in my own little way," said Arianwen.  (FREEMAN)