This principle, coupled with hard work pushed the topnotcher of the September 2023 Agricultural Biosystems Engineers Licensure Examination, Bayaw Lee David Castro, to his goal. “Bayaw” is what licensed Agricultural Biosystems Engineers call themselves, instead of engineers.

Mr. Castro, a 23-year-old alumnus of Bataan Peninsula State University-Abucay Campus, hails from Hermosa, where he grew up in a typical rural area. When asked why he took Agricultural Biosystems Engineering, he said, “Grade 7 pa lang ako, I had already decided that this would be my course. I was inspired by my father.” This course gives him purpose and the career, moving forward, will one way or another affect the very foundation of our country that is often overlooked: agricultural and countryside management.

“If you think of the top 5 things that you can’t live without, I can guarantee that most, if not all, come from agricultural products and their derivatives. That is what our profession is aiming to tackle,” he added.

Having graduated last year (2022), Mr. Castro admitted that frustration bottled up during the months of waiting for this year’s examination because of the inevitable circumstances in the procedure that delayed his plans ahead. “Ilang beses din ako nafrustrate noon pero, ang sagot sakin ni Lord, is to wait. Mahirap ito kasi time is very valuable for me, kaya as soon as I can, gusto ko agad i-take yung exam sana,” he added.

Despite the hardships he faced, he emphasized that it is his support system, particularly his parents, and the trust of the rest of his family, his partner, and the faculty of BPSU-AC, whose trust never swayed, that kept him going. “Lastly, alam kong hindi ko mai-isa-isa yung mga tao na naging part ng journey ko, but I know that everything that you did to help me, every word of encouragement that you said, every act of service, everything is acknowledged and appreciated” he emphasized.

Bayaw Lee David Castro also acknowledged during the interview that he is a beneficiary of the Iskolar ng Bataan program. Through this achievement, he is eligible for a P30,000 cash grant from the Provincial Government of Bataan under the INB Program.

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