5 out of 5 Ateneans qualify for Yale’s Tournament of Champions 2023

Representing the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila Junior and Senior High School students Jesu Manzano (10-Pires), EJ Porta (11-Gavan), Daniel Park (10-Sitjar), Renzu Santos (11-Hoyos), and Sian Trasmontero (11-Hoyos) won a total of five golds and 13 silvers from the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) Global Round, which was held from July 14 to 19, 2023, in Seoul, South Korea. The Ateneans were the only contingent from the Philippines at the Cup, which attracted more than 1500 contestants (a.k.a. “scholars”) from 30 countries such as Cambodia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Ateneo’s medal haul includes one gold and two silvers won by Team 588 (Manzano, Park, & Porta) for its team events, and a silver secured by Team 589 (Santos, Trasmontero and a teammate from Korea) for its team events.

Individually, Porta collected two golds while Santos and Trasmontero secured four silvers each. Manzano and Park each won one gold and one silver for their individual events.

Here is a detailed listing of the medals won at the WSC Global Round by the Ateneans, arranged by team and by individual:

Team Awards

Manzano, Park & Porta of Team 588: one gold (Team Debate) + two silvers (Scholar’s Bowl, Overall Team Ranking) + Qualified for Yale Tournament of Champions

Santos, Trasmontero, and teammate from South Korea of Team 589: one silver (Scholar’s Bowl) + Qualified for Yale Tournament of Champions

Individual Awards

EJ Porta: two golds (Debate, History)

Renzu Santos: four silvers (Debate, Writing, History, Social Studies)      

Sian Trasmontero: four silvers (Debate, History, Social Studies, Science)

Jesu Manzano: one gold (Debate) + one silver (Writing)

Daniel Park: one gold (Debate) + one silver (Writing)

Cumulative (team + individual) medal haul

EJ Porta: three golds + two silvers

Jesu Manzano: two golds + three silvers

Daniel Park: two golds + three silvers

Renzu Santos: five silvers

Sian Trasmontero: five silvers

As a result of their multiple-medal-winning performances at the WSC Global Round, all five Ateneans have qualified to advance to the World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions, which will be held at Yale University in the US this November.

The WSC is an inclusive, interdisciplinary, team-oriented competition designed to motivate students of all backgrounds to discover new strengths, practice new skills, and inspire a global community of future scholars and leaders. 

The theme for the WSC Global Round 2023 was “Reconstructing the Past.”  Its participants (aka “scholars”) were tested in six disciplines: History, Art and Music, Literature and Media, Special Interest, Science and Technology and Social Studies. They took written exams, collaborated with others on a writing challenge, competed in a Scholar’s Bowl, and participated in three debates with only 15 minutes preparation.

The Ateneans were coached for the World Scholar’s Cup Global Round 2023 by AJHS English faculty Claire Ramirez.