Engr. Niele Shem G. Bañas once found himself consumed by hours of online gaming, a habit that began in high school and extended into his college years. What started as a form of stress relief gradually became a distraction, threatening his academic success and personal growth. Behind the online games and the screen, however, was a young man destined for greater things—a journey that would eventually lead him to become a two-time board licensure exam topnotcher and a beacon of inspiration for many.

Although online gaming served as his escape, it ultimately caused him more stress than relief. Recognizing this, he made the crucial decision to step away from gaming and refocus on his studies. After qualifying for the DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarship Program in 2019, he realized that failure was not an option, as his commitment to academics would directly impact his family’s capability to support his education.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic tested his resolve, leading to periods of procrastination and diminished motivation as deadlines were missed and academic pressures accumulated. Niele also struggled with the challenge of maintaining his high academic standing. Yet, he held onto hope and gradually rebuilt his discipline. A shift in perspective—realizing that much of the pressure was self-imposed—empowered him to approach the licensure examinations with a fearless mindset: “𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

As a DOST scholar, Niele gained access to meaningful academic experiences and formed strong connections with fellow scholars who became close friends and research partners. The collaborative environment taught him the value of teamwork and understanding one’s role in achieving collective goals. His academic pursuits extended beyond the classroom as he actively participated in regional and national quiz competitions, proudly representing the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas.

One of his most memorable experiences was competing in the Brodkast ng Talino, an annual national intercollegiate electronic systems and technology quiz show, where he faced competitors from other universities who would later become his fellow licensure exam topnotchers. Participating in quiz competitions strengthened his confidence and his dedication culminated in graduating Magna Cum Laude and subsequently topping not one, but two licensure examinations—a testament to his academic excellence and a source of immense pride for his alma mater.

Niele’s remarkable achievements have inspired countless students to believe in their potential and recognize their institution’s capacity to nurture academic excellence. Now embarking on his professional career, he is driven by a larger mission: to contribute to the nation’s technological advancement and support the Philippines’ transition to Industry 4.0. This ambition marks a significant shift in perspective from his earlier goal of simply securing stable employment. His experiences as a DOST-SEI scholar have instilled in him a profound sense of responsibility to utilize his talents for the greater good.

To current DOST scholars and students navigating their own challenges, he offers this heartfelt advice: “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴.”

Niele’s story is a powerful reminder that no obstacle—not even the grip of gaming addiction—is insurmountable. With determination, self-discipline, and a heart committed to excellence, anyone can transcend limitations and transform struggles into stepping stones for success. (MLGArticuna/STHRDS)

𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳: 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛 𝘝𝘐 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘚𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘋𝘚) 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛’𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘯𝘪. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛-𝘚𝘌𝘐 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱@𝘳𝘰6.𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘵.𝘨𝘰𝘷.𝘱𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 0917-801-1942.