AN ALUMNA of the Ateneo de Manila University was selected as one of the recipients of the 2022 Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Catherine Tan is the fifth Filipino and the second Filipina to receive the award.

“With encouragement from my professors – indeed, you have to be nominated by your department first, I became one of the 6,000 students who threw their hats into the ring,” Tan said.

“My Department at Cambridge has been exceedingly supportive, which is a fantastic nudge. It helped me dig further and realize I was aligned with the values in the Gates criteria and became motivated by it,” she shared.

“But, at the end of the day, Gates is simply an award that celebrates intellectuals who know how to turn their ideas into passion projects. And those passion projects into lasting institutions,” she added.

Established in 2000 by a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship aims to build a network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.

The scholarship provides full-cost funding and non-financial support to study at the University of Cambridge and its colleges.

Tan said she will pursue a PhD in Geography at Downing College.