
The Varsitarian, the official school publication of the University of Santo Tomas, shared several photos of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo on its Facebook page as the university opened classes.
Rabiya enrolled as a student in the Doctor of Medicine Program at the university's Faculty of Medicine and Surgery as part of fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor.
In the Facebook post, the beauty queen and actress was seen full of joy during the university's Thomasian Welcoming Rites while wearing the official uniform of her program.
“FROM MISS UNIVERSE TO MED SCHOOL,” the caption read.
In a separate post, the university publication interviewed Rabiya, who shared her thoughts on returning to school and her decision to pursue medicine.
The beauty queen-actress explained that studying medicine fulfills a lifelong ambition while also allowing her to inspire others, particularly younger women, to pursue their goals.
“You can have a lot of dreams in your life. It doesn't mean that you have this lifetime and you can only have one goal to reach,” Rabiya told The Varsitarian.
She continued, “I want to be a doctor that is so inspirational that other younger women would look up to and they would say that this girl made everything possible.”
Recently, Jake Cuenca, Rabiya's boyfriend, took to his Instagram Stories to congratulate his partner on her successful application last May. He publicly expressed his excitement and admiration for Rabiya's academic achievement.
“Congratulations, Rabiya, for making your dreams come true today and making it to UST FMS!” Jake wrote in the text of the said Instagram Story.
“She's going to be a doctor! I'm so proud of you!” he added.
Before entering medical school, Rabiya earned her first college degree from Iloilo Doctors' College, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy in 2018.
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