By Jeann Vidal and Edalyn Acta
A degree in chemical engineering from the world-class University of California is a feat denied to ordinary folks in the country. From a humble beginning at the Lozada’s ancestral house in Barangay Baybay, Roxas
City, Kyle Andrei De Matias, now 20, recalled the people who nurtured him with great care, shaped his worldview and values into what he has achieved, so far in six years of being in the United States of
America. Kyle was 14 years old when her mother, Dr. Ana Carmela Lozada, brought him to California to continue his studies.
He graduated valedictorian from Filamer Christian University when he was in grade school.
He attended his 7th and 8th grade levels at Capiz National High School from 2013–2014 and was always at the top of the class.
To Kyle, landing second place in class “never crossed my mind.”
”I always worked my way to the top, there is no option for me but first honor… Boasting aside,
I never doubted my passion to excel in everything I choose and engage in. Many people looked at me as being too selfish. Yes, I admit it, I am indeed selfish.
I set my priorities and goals foremost based on my interests and dreams, while I seize those rare opportunities, and respond to serious challenges in the world,” he said.
“I am still young, and the future is aptly multiplied as I fix my eyes on what to achieve more in life than ordinary folk of my generation usually fail miserably. I do not blame them, maybe they are not too ambitious, and are just content with what they have, and what is available to them,” he added.
“To me, a young individual must painstakingly explore what he/she enjoys doing it. Success and achievements come with one’s determination, grit, perseverance, and aspiration – these are the drivers that made me who I am today, and my passion must be meaningfully relevant to humanity,” he also said.
He said, “I have always dreamed of following in the footsteps of my mother, a medical practitioner who used to work at the Roxas City Health Office. “During my formative years in the Philippines, I realized I am not that type of guy who wants to carve his niche in the health care industry. I was fascinated by that television cartoon program,
Power Puff Girls. There was a character there—a professor who concocts or experiments in a laboratory. That character gave me the idea of pursuing a chemistry degree,” he said.
He also said he does not disregard his experience at Capiz National High School, especially in science and technology.
“I have good memories with my two math teachers, who coached me to become a champion in math quizzes in 2014–2015. Of course, I could not forget my teacher, Mam Fatima Bolido. Oh, my best friend, what great moments we had. She was jolly, one who goes with the fl ow of life. We had rare dull moments. Her presence makes me easily forget the non-essentials of life, the trivialities, and the mediocrity of living.”
In five years, he sees himself taking graduate courses from Stanford University, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or the California Institute of Technology, and finishing his doctorate degree from Ivy League schools.
He also prefers working with global pharmaceutical companies, doing research and development in various places in America.*
