Yumi Briones: On the Road of a Purpose-driven Life

Work hard. Play hard. It may not be the kind of philosophy you would imagine a diligent student of the sciences to be living by. Then again, Yumi Briones has in more ways broken the mold of the archetypal Chemistry whiz. Her parents have instilled in her an admirable work ethic that makes room for her to go crazy about the things she loves outside her world of science.       
 

Ask her what her favorite show is and Breaking Bad flies out of her lips. Parasite is her fave movie of 2019, and don’t look now, but this millennial is not about to get hijacked into following the milk tea craze, but prefers to swoon over the mango aloe drink from a particular dessert restaurant. And for having a mother who hails from Korea, it’s no surprise that for Yumi, hot spice is life, where kimchi is practically eaten with anything, and sisig is a must-have Filipino food with loads of hot sauce, please.
 

But give Yumi a moment to reflect on life, and you realize the depth of passion she carries for cancer research and her hopes of developing natural-based treatments that are accessible to the disadvantaged. She looks to Jose Rizal, a man of science himself, as a guiding light in her uncompromising belief that in this fleeting lifetime, everyone has an active role to play in pursuing a kinder, better, and more humane society.
 

Students and faculty describe her as a focused, determined, and articulate person who pursues and makes good her goals. A consistent Dean’s Lister, winner of the 2019 Most Outstanding Jose Rizal Model Students of the Philippines (JRSMP), and Summa Cum Laude awardee, she now adds to her storied education the distinction of being the Loyola Schools Valedictorian of Class 2020.

Buoyed by fledgling pans to pursue Masters and Doctorate degrees that would ultimately bring the benefits of her science to grassroots levels, Yumi believes that there is no better time than now to be of service to the larger community. 
 

She sums it up in her acceptance speech at the JRSMP Awards, believing that “each of our lives belong to a sequel to the book of our nation that Rizal co-authored. Whether you’re in geology, biology, communication, agriculture, education, accountancy, engineering, from the province or from the city, we all have a common utopia. A beautiful nation we envision to be ours. We only have a lifetime to work towards it.
 

Life is fleeting. Let’s make it count.”