BENGUET PRIDE TOP 2 ON MEDTECH BOARD EXAM

April 7, 2024 Provincial

BAGUIO CITY

Jed Ataban Cangsan, a magna cum laude graduate from Saint Louis University,landed second spot in the recent Medical Technologists Licensure Examination Cangsan, native of Bokod, Benguet, got an impressive 92.80% grade of the 9,068 examinees who took the test. ‘Hindi talaga sumagi sa isip ko na magtake ng any medicine-related program. Dumating lang siya, I mean, naisip ko lang siya nung nakwento sa akin ng mga friends ko during senior high about this program,’ Cangsan said. ‘ Actually, hindi talaga medtech yung gusto ko. Gusto ko talaga BS Biology.’

Cangsan, born to a family of educators, both of his parents hold a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, with a
specialization in Mathematics. His boyhood started at Pilpiok Elementary School,a remote area where he received
his primary education. He graduated with honors in Bokod National High School for his junior high education, and got his senior high diploma at Benguet State University (BSU). The Bokod son first plan to take BS Biology course, but his choice is not a priority course of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholarship program.

He then decided to pursue a pre-med program and opted for a Bachelor of Science in Biology as his first choice.
Despite this setback, Cangsan remained determined to pursue his passion for the medical field and continued to
explore other options which as taking a program Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences (BSMLS).
Growing up in his community, the number of medical professionals is scarce, especially on his family’s side. Because of this, he made a promise to himself to become one of the ‘few medical professionals’ and serve his community.

To prepare for the board exams, he enrolled in a review center in Baguio ( Legend Review Center founded by Dr.
Gabrielle Paul Pascual). Asked about his review method, Cangsan said: “I think, the number one thing you need is discipline.’ ‘Secondly, always study the lesson. And, don’t forget to rest because you won’t function properly if you don’t give yourself time to rest,” Cangsan mentioned. Faced with a great deal of pressure, he chose to approach it with optimism. And it paid off. “Continue doing your best, continue trusting yourself, and continue trusting God,” he emphasized.

He plans to sort out his future career path and make some important decisions, while getting a well-deserved rest
after completing a rigorous 6- month-long review of the board exams. Saint Louis University (SLU) emerged as one of the top-performing universities with 511 out of 517 of their examinees passing the licensure exam. This achievement secured them a spot in the Top 4 performing universities with 98.84% passing rate. In August 2023, SLU was also hailed as the Top 1 topperforming university, with a 100% passing rate as all of their 152 examinees passed the licensure exam. One of their examinees. Sam Jeffrey Tiongco, also a magna cum laude graduate from SLU, took the No. 1 spot in the said licensure exam with a 93.30% passing rate.

Valerie Ann E. Dismaya/UB-Intern