MANILA, Philippines — Actress and beauty queen Rabiya Mateo has officially started medical school at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), attending the university’s Thomasian Welcome Rites on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Mateo wore her white medical uniform as she joined fellow medicine students at the university’s annual welcome activity for new students. The Varsitarian, UST’s official student publication, shared photos of Mateo from the event.
In an interview with the publication, Mateo said pursuing medicine does not mean giving up her other ambitions.
“You can have a lot of your dreams in your life. It doesn’t mean that you have this lifetime and you can only have one goal to reach,” she said.
Mateo also said she hopes to become a doctor who inspires young women.
“I want to be a doctor that is so inspirational that other younger women would look up to, and that they would say that this girl made everything possible,” she said.
Her boyfriend, actor Jake Cuenca, also celebrated her first day of medical school and gave her flowers.
Mateo graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Iloilo Doctors’ College in 2018.
In March, she scored 741 on the National Medical Admission Test, placing her in the top 1% of test-takers nationwide.