Laoag City, Aug. 13 -- A 17-year-old student from Sarrat National High School in Ilocos Norte has accepted the full scholarship offered to her by the Chinese University of Hong Kong after winning gold in the World International Mathematical Olympiad (WIMO) finals in Shenzhen, China in January.

Ma. Cassandra Reich Duque, who won the WIMO championship in the senior secondary category, will be the first Filipino student to receive a full scholarship at the prestigious Chinese University of Hong Kong for tertiary education.

The university ranks 9th in the Asia University Rankings 2025 and 44th in the World University Rankings 2025, according to Times Higher Education.

In a media interview on Tuesday afternoon, Duque said she's been wanting...