RAYMOND Geoman’s curiosity as a child about how electricity from electric posts arrives in his household introduced him to the wonders of electrical engineering.
Little did he know that by the age of 23, he would not only make his family and teachers proud but would also bring pride to the entire Cebu island by finishing first out of the 4,436 passers of the recently concluded Registered Electrical Engineers Licensure Examination (REELE) nationwide.
The licensure exam held in April 2024 had 7,005 participants. Geoman passed with a rating of 95 percent.
Electrical engineering, however, was not Geoman’s first choice in college.
After learning about his scholarship from the Department of Science and Technology, Geoman, who hails from Barangay Mantalongon in Dalaguete, a mountainous town in Cebu, was inspired to pursue the field of civil engineering.
However, at that time, the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) was not accredited by the Department of Science and Technology for civil engineering. He then opted to pursue mechanical engineering, but the program’s accreditation later expired. He ended up pursuing electrical engineering.
“Napunta jud ko sa Electrical. I am happy that I am now a registered electrical engineer,” he said.
Geoman, son of a construction worker, said his family’s situation motivated him to work hard academically as he treats education as a ticket to improve their status.
“Naay mga times nga managhan na unta among hayupan, pero maanam na lang kay ibaligya aron pangbayad sa expenses sa skuyla,” he said.
(There are times when we would like to keep our livestock, but we have to sell them little by little because we need the money for school expenses.)
From graduating as class valedictorian in Mantalongon Elementary School, he continued to excel academically in high school. He pursued Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics in his senior high school at Dalaguete National High School.
Geoman ended the eight-year drought of the CIT-U in the REELE.
According to the university during a press conference on Friday, May 3, the school has produced 747 board topnotchers, 88 of whom landed in first place.
Aside from Geoman, three other CIT-U graduates also made it to the top 10 in the licensure exams.
Mark Restie Sasan Laput placed sixth after garnering a passing rate of 93.05 percent, followed by Paul Anthony Manabat Aliasut at seventh place, with a rating of 92.95 percent, and Vijay Manuel De Guma, who placed ninth with a passing rate of 92.75 percent.
The CIT-U engineering department said they enhanced the Philippine engineering curriculum by adding more mathematics-related subjects.
The department said its students focused not only on academics but also competed in national mathematics quizzes. / CDF