By Michael Veith

Pio Aquino is parlaying his love of sports into a profession. Attending The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Pio (class of 2011) is currently in his third year of a four-year degree in Sports Science. “I’m an athlete. I love sports and want to dive into that world. With this degree, I can do just that.”

His passion is alive and well on the university soccer pitch where he plays college intramural football. “It’s a university wide competition and it’s really competitive. It is a blast, and I just love the experience.”

Although a sports science degree is a broad degree, Pio sees it as a good thing, “After graduation my options are endless. From psychology to management, and teaching, I have the freedom to pick out the route that fits me the best.”  The route may also include a Master’s degree, however Pio sees that as being in the distant future, “I actually want to work before going into my master’s. I’m going to get some experience before getting specialized, and on top of that, job experience looks great on a CV (resume).”

Pio describes his time at university as being “a rollercoaster ride, but a good one at that. As anywhere, there are ups and downs. I would say that my highs definitely outnumber the lows. The most incredible experiences were the ones that were never planned. Basically, it’s the ‘not knowing what’s going to happen’ factor that keeps it memorable.”