When the Professional Regulation Commission released the 2025 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT) results on May 23, West Visayas State University once again earned a spot on the national leaderboard. But behind this year’s fifth placer in the Secondary Level exam is more than just a high score—there’s a story of grit, grounding, and a girl named Gizelle.
Gizelle Amour Tabangcora Tagabi, a BSEd Social Studies graduate and summa cum laude of the WVSU College of Education Class of 2024, scored an impressive 93.00%, officially becoming one of the top LET examinees in the country.
But those who knew her story weren’t surprised. A consistent academic performer and the former Editor-in-Chief of Silak Media, the college’s award-winning publication, Gizelle has long embodied excellence—with both her intellect and her heart in the right place.
“I reviewed everything I could, everywhere I could.”
That was Gizelle’s no-frills answer when asked how she prepared for the LET. But her preparation ran deeper than that. Her Social Studies background, she said, helped sharpen not only her content mastery but also her worldview.
“The thing about Social Studies is that you have to know everything under the sun,” she laughed. “And I think that translates well into the LET.”
More than just book smarts, Gizelle credits her achievement to her roots.
“I feel like I’ve been preparing for the LET my whole life. From the way I was raised, to every teacher who guided me—grade school, high school, college—I wouldn’t have made it without them,” she shared.
That sense of gratitude is a hallmark of her journey. Whether competing in national quiz bees or being named an IWAG Awardee by the Philippine Information Agency for her impact in campus journalism, Gizelle has always balanced brilliance with humility.
In fact, she was already giving LET-level answers even before the real thing: she topped her class’s Mock Licensure Exam in her senior year and emerged as champion in the Provincial Leg (Iloilo) of the 1st National Teacher Education Quiz Bee, later becoming a national finalist.
Gizelle Amour Tabangcora Tagabi is more than a topnotcher—she’s a torchbearer for what it means to be Taga-West: brilliant, grounded, and ready to teach the next generation.
To Gizelle and all the Taga-West passers of the 2025 LEPT—Congratulations!
Your triumphs today will become the lessons of tomorrow.
Text by DO Callosa, Dr. Hazel P. Villa/PAMCO
Layout by C Calimlim/PAMCO, with sources from Gizelle Tagabi/Facebook, PRC/Website
