Iloilo writers Hazel Villa and John Kevin Arevalo submitted to VERA Files and Yahoo the story of Ruthell Moreno, who is graduating summa cum laude, Bachelor of Special Education,major in Teaching Children with Mental Retardation from the West Visayas State University.
Ruthell, who is from Antique, is only the fourth summa cum laude of the College of Education (COE) after its founding as a Normal College more than a hundred years ago. The COE is a Center of Teaching Excellence and consistent placer in the Licensure Exam for Teachers.
In last Tuesday’s WVSU recognition day Ruthell, with a Grade Point Average of 1.23, received more receive university level awards: Most outstanding student teacher, Student of the year, Proficiency in SPED Award, Academic excellence award, an award from the Philippine Association for Teacher Education, Journalism Award, Rotary Award, Abelardo Alegre Ledesma award for excellence in culture and arts, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr Academic Excellence Award and two awards from Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
She also delivered the valedictory address in behalf of the graduates of 2012.
Hazel and John Kevin said, the story of Ruthell, 24, known to friends as “Che” could have been any regular story of an intelligent young woman making the most of her resources and abilities, except for the fact that she has Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or lupus, an autoimmune disease characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body.