‘To Therese, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree as a Magna Cum Laude is a recognition that trumps all her previous awards’
At 23 years old, Therese “Teri” Malvar has numerous awards from various award-giving bodies– Best Actress for the film “Hamog” from the 2016 Moscow International Film Festival, Jury Prize Winner Best Actress for “Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita” from the 2013 CineFilipino Film Festival, Screen International Rising Star from the 2016 New York Asian Film Festival, among other accolades. Therese also won two best supporting actress awards from the 2018 Cinemalaya Film Festival for “Distance” and “School Service.”
Undoubtedly, the GMA Sparkle artist (co-managed with Ferdy Lapuz) is an accomplished actress.
Recently, Therese has added another feather to her already magnificent cap: Magna Cum Laude in Film and Video from Meridian International Business Arts and Technology (MINT) College.
That’s an awesome feat for someone who was initially hesitant to study the said course. “I was scared that if I study something that I’m passionate about, I will eventually lose my love for it,” she told us. “But over years of trying to steer far from it, I realized that there’s nothing else I’d want to do than to tell stories in any medium possible…I believe my purpose in life is to be a storyteller.”
At MINT, Therese was a well-rounded student who excelled in academic and non-academic pursuits. “I was also part of our school’s events production team – MINT PROD. Where I was able to head the Operations Department,” she said.
Therese was also an organizer/ programmer of her school’s Cinemint Film Festival.
To fulfill her requirements, stay on track with her course load, Therese devised her own study tips. “One of them is that I make up a fake deadline for me so I could finish my tasks a day before the actual deadline.”
Perhaps one of the benefits of being an actress mainly for independent films is that Therese could have her fill of edgy roles while enjoying her privacy in public places like her own college. Asked if she had favorable treatment in school by virtue of being an actress, Therese laughingly recounted that her some of classmates didn’t know who she was. “They discovered it later on when my professors mentioned it.”
Her teachers, such as filmmakers Jade Castro, Paolo O’Hara, Ben Padero and Carlo Tabije, understood her work and gave Therese some consideration for her absences, which were not frequent.
Aside from them, Therese gives credit to friends and family who supported her college journey. She said, “Grabe talaga laging pasasalamat ko rin sa mga classmates ko throughout the years, who were always kind enough to tutor me para maka-catch up ako agad. They would even remind me and tell me lessons/homeworks that I have missed nung umaabsent ako.
“Apart from my classmates and family, my workmates and GMA have always been so supportive of my pursuit in studying. Lalo na GMA and Tito Ferdy (Lapuz), dahil sila ‘yung tumutulong sa akin sa pag-ayos ng schedule ko.
“God gave me so much blessings of relationships and connections which would help me continue my school while working.”
To Therese, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree as a Magna Cum Laude is a recognition that trumps all her previous awards. “Muntik na ako umiyak nang malaman ko (na Magna Cum Laude) ako. Dahil iyon talaga ‘yung pinapangarap kong matupad ko sa huli kong taon bilang isang estudyante. I worked so hard to present to my parents a diploma and earn Latin honors.”
