There was a mixture of emotion and slight disappointment on face of the 22 year old Gino Paulo I. Santos, a Southville High School Alumnus, when he placed 6th in the 2014 Licensure Examination for Physical Therapy (PT).

“I was really aiming for first place. If you want to make it big, you have to think big,” exclaimed Gino.

Realizing though how a feat it was that among more than 700 examinees, only 350 passed and he made it to top 6, Gino has nothing but overwhelming joy especially that he only had less than two months to review due to the make-up days he had to render in the clinic. Sleeping late and waking up early and cutting recreation time had become his lifestyle.

“I rented a dorm near my review center and I didn’t go home even on long weekends to study without distractions,” said Gino.

In high school, Gino had always dreamed of being a doctor and only took PT as a pre-med course. Little did he know that he will become very passionate in PT. One of his plans is to advance his career in this field and may not pursue a course in Medicine anymore.

“Southville has developed my people skills which helped me in handling my patients very well,” shared Gino. He added, “The Monday assemblies in Southville always had to be hosted by a section, and since everyone in class has to take turns, I would say that much of my stage presence came from there. The English subjects during my high school also sharpened my public speaking. I developed my confidence in speaking to crowds or a single person through the English curriculum that developed my communication skills.”

Gino, who finished high school at Southville, is a living proof of the school’s commitment to delivering academic excellence, joining the rosters of Southville Achievers like Gino Rosales, Top 10, 2013 Nursing Licensure Exam, Renally Pariñas, Top 9, 2013 Licensure Examination for Teachers and Katrina Geronimo, HS Alumnus and Top 4, 2014 Nursing Licensure Exam.