Life of a Summa Cum Laude: A Scholar‟s Narrative

This study features the contributing factors to the Latin honor success of „Mr. Brain‟. It aimed to: determine his motivation upon the completion of four years in formal studies; distinguish the people who influenced his career journey; identify his learning styles during academic learning; analyze the family orientation where he was nurtured and shaped up that influenced his school achievements; and describe his primary hobbies. Through biographical and portraiture research designs, the key subject of this study was chosen through one-on-one interview. He was selected for being the only Summa Cum Laude who graduated in one of the State Universities and Colleges in Central Visayas, Philippines for Batch 2015-2016; and ranked 4th Place in the national Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET) in September 2016. A life of a Summa Cum Laude, represented by a coded name „Mr. Brain,‟ characterized with a definite self-regulation: clear goal orientation and motivation; influences of his high school teacher; endearing childhood classmate; and the magical triumvirate of college professors contributed a great factor to his academic success. His visual and kinesthetic learning styles and his hobbies of playing computer games animated his character to become a successful person. Though, he was not born into a family, who graduated with honors, however, it did not deprive him to achieve the highest academic award given by the university, a proof that intelligence is not genetically inherited; but it is socially nurtured.

Keywords: summa cum laude, academic success, biography, portraiture, narrative