A GRADUATE of Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma landed in the top 10 of December 2018 National Dentistry Licensure Examination.

Marian Ave Loquellano Ibon ranked fifth among 700 successful examinees. Ibon is also the only topnotcher from the Visayas.

Ibon could not believe the results. She scored a total grade of 82.50 in the written and practical phases of the examination.

“I ran to my dad while my hands were shaking. I let my brother check my name three times if that was really me or just someone with the same name,” Ibon said after seeing the results.

“Everything was surreal. It didn’t sink in right away. I didn’t know what to feel but I'm happy and all praises to the Lord,” she added.

The written exam was held last November 28 to 30, while the practical test ran from December 18 to 21 in 2018.

Dr. Gatieh Nacario, SWU-Phinma’s vice president for Academics, expressed delight in the recent development.

“We are very happy to see that one of our own not only passed but excelled in the examination. Dr. Ibon has showed nothing but diligence in her studies from grade 1 to the present. And that’s something we always try to cultivate - grit,” said Nacario.

The Dentistry Licensure Exam is a two-pronged exam period that covers written and practical tests. (PR with MBV)