Liza Diño is one proud mom after her daughter, Amara, has been accepted to Stanford University and other globally renowned universities.
On March 28, the former Film Development Council of the Philippines chairperson took to social media to share her overwhelming joy and excitement for her daughter. In her Instagram post, Liza shared a glimpse into their family’s reaction upon receiving the news. Alongside her and husband Ice Seguerra, Amara was seen overwhelmed with emotion as they celebrated the milestone together.
“𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐌!!! Our daughter just got accepted to STANFORD UNIVERSITY!” she began.
Amara will pursue Mechanical Engineering and is part of the Class of 2030. According to Forbes, Stanford University carries an acceptance rate of just around 4%.
For Liza, the moment felt like a dream she never imagined coming true. “Never in a million years could I have imagined that my precious baby girl, who used to get B’s in Math, who had to take Kumon so her grades will improve just got accepted in one the top 3 universities IN THE WORLD.”
The announcement comes just days after the family celebrated Amara’s 18th birthday, making the achievement doubly special. Liza admitted that the journey leading up to the results was filled with emotion.
“I didn’t realize this whole experience was gonna be such an emotional rollercoaster—not just for her but also for me and Ice,” she continued.
Apart from Stanford University, Amara also earned acceptance into other top-tier institutions including Columbia University, University of California Berkeley, and University of Southern California. She was also waitlisted at Harvard University, the oldest university in the United States.
Overwhelmed with pride, Liza credited her daughter’s success not to luck, but to years of dedication.
“My God, I’m so so so so proud of you. Not everyone gets the privilege of choosing which school to go to. 🥹 But this isn’t luck. This is hard work. This is discipline. This is you showing up over and over again, even when it wasn’t easy. This is all you!”
She added a message of unwavering support as Amara prepares for the next chapter of her life.
“So my love, embrace it. Be proud of it. Celebrate it because you have earned every single bit of this. And whatever you choose (I know you’ve chosen already), we’re right here with you. Always.”
Amara, for her part, also reflected on the sacrifices behind her success, sharing her gratitude and journey on her own social media account.
“i have worked VERY hard for this moment. i like would die over bad grades and study for tens of hours for tests. i would skip meals skip family gatherings skip my life so i could study. i do it because i LOVE learning and because i knew one day it would pay off.”
“i thank God bc my prayers were answered. thank you to my family my friends and my educators. i am beyond grateful. to my parents especially thank you guys. to the Philippines for my amazing upbringing and life there. salamat po,” she wrote.
As news of her achievement spread, family, friends, and supporters quickly flooded the comments with congratulations to Amara and her proud parents.
Stanford University is also the alma mater of some of the world’s most influential figures, including former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, and Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, among many others.