A 22-year-old nursing graduate from Palawan State University (PalawanSU) said he still could not believe he placed Top 7 in the recent Nursing Licensure Examination with a rating of 92.60%.
Zachary Cayapas Orais said he worked and prayed hard to pass and hoped to reach the topnotchers’ list, but he never imagined he would rank among them because of the many strong nursing graduates from schools across the country.
“Until now, medyo shocked pa rin pero in a nice way,” he said, adding that he did not expect the result and woke up to a flood of congratulatory messages.
He learned the news at dawn when the results were released.
He said his achievement was even more meaningful because PalawanSU’s College of Nursing produced a topnotcher for the first time in its 21-year history.
“It’s such an honor and privilege at the same time,” he said.
Orais credited his success to months of focused review and the support of his parents, mentors, and classmates.
He reviewed at a center for six months with his batchmates and continued studying while finishing school. He also spent time answering practice questions on his own.
He said confidence in himself played a big role. He shared that while others followed the tradition of asking lecturers or nurses to sharpen their pencils for luck, he chose to do his own.
“Tiwala lang talaga sa sariling kakayahan,” he said.
He sharpened his pencil at church while praying for his batch to pass and completed a nine-day novena before the exam.
Orais has no firm plans yet, but he wants to work as a nurse because the profession has become important to him since his first year in college.
If not in a hospital, he said he is open to teaching or taking further studies, including Medicine or a master’s degree.
He said he wants to explore his options first because he is still overwhelmed by the milestone.
Orais is grateful to the Lord, whom he believed was the source of everything that happened to him. He also thanked his family and his parents, Charlie and Christine Orais, for standing by him even when they did not have enough.
He described his family as poor when he was young. He said their situation had improved, but financial struggles were still present, which made him more thankful that his parents never gave up despite the high cost of his chosen course.
He also expressed appreciation for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, including the dean, faculty, classmates, and friends who became part of his journey.
The new nurse recognized his girlfriend too, Sheena Angelica Nolledo, for being with him through most of their college years and for helping him in many ways. At the same time, he congratulated her for passing the PNLE on her first attempt.
“Gusto kong pasalamatan talaga si Lord kasi Siya naman talaga ang may gawa nito,” he said.
Orais is from Barangay Punta Baja in Rizal town, the eldest of three siblings, and the son of a farmer and a government employee.
Aside from his achievement, Palawan State University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences recorded a 100% passing rate in the November NLE and was named the Top 1 Performing School in Category B, surpassing the national passing rate of 90.04 percent.
