Top 7 in architect board exam dreams to build better home for family


MANILA, Philippines – Dawnelli Mahomoc Luar ranked 7th in the January 2023 Architect Licensure Examination (ALE), as announced by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on February 1, 2023.

Top 7 in architect board exam dreams to build better home for family
Dawnelli Mahomoc Luar ranked 7th in the January 2023 Licensure Examination for Architects | Photo Courtesy: Facebook/ UP Mindanao Architecture Student Council

Luar earned a score of 82.30%, placing her in the top 7th spot of the 1,980 passers out of 3,473 examinees.

Luar couldn’t help but reflect on how far she had come as she now just steps away toward her dreams. Her dream, she admitted, is to build a better home for her family. Luar acknowledged growing up in an informal settlement in Bislig, Surigao del Sur. Nevertheless, she claimed that she had a comfortable life.

Luar graduated in 2018 from the University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UP-Min), but it took her a few more years before finally taking the licensure exam. There have been many challenges in her journey to success. One of these was when they lost their home in a fire in 2021, which was heartbreaking and also caused her to postpone taking the licensure exam.

“Sakit na mawad-an imong nadak-an nga lugar, tapos nawala na tanan, since bata pa gyud ko, pila na katuig nagpuyo didto, tapos comfortable naka sa imong mga kauban,” Luar said. [It was heartbreaking to lose the neighborhood where I grew up. We lost everything, including my childhood home, where we were already living comfortably with our neighbors.]

Luar went to Davao City and worked for two years in an architectural firm while reviewing for the exam. Then the pandemic came, delaying the exam, and she also got sick in 2022, which affected her review. Everything just wasn’t going her way. Finally, in 2023, Luar took her chance at the licensure exam and aced it.

In a Facebook post, the topnotcher recalled how she initially questioned whether architecture was for her. There were many times when she was unsure and doubted herself.

“The majority of the last ten years, I have thought architecture wasn’t for me. Again and again, I felt incompetent and insecure,” she wrote.

However, the encouragement and confidence of those around her pushed her to continue and persevere. Luar couldn’t help but thank those who had faith in her and God for her success on the licensure exam.

“I was surrounded by people who loved and cared for me, supported and helped me throughout this whole architecture thing I never thought I would be able to excel with. Passing the exam was enough, but He gave me more,” she added.

Now that she’s a licensed architect, Luar is thrilled to build homes and learn more from experts. Meanwhile, her alma mater, UP-Min, achieved a 100% passing rate in the January 2023 Licensure Examination for Architects.

— Sally, The Summit Express