OMG! Rabiya Mateo Just Got Into Her Dream Med School—And Jake Cuenca Is One Proud Boyfriend

Rabiya Mateo unlocked another major life milestone! The Miss Universe Philippines 2020 beauty queen just confirmed that she officially got accepted into the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery—a.k.a. her dream med school.

Rabiya shared the exciting news through a post recapping her recent Hong Kong trip with her boyfriend, actor Jake Cuenca. And TBH, it looked less like a random vacation and more like a well-deserved celebration before a huge new chapter begins. In her caption, she wrote, "Few more gala before med school ❤️ @juancarloscuenca thank you for this trip."

And of course, Jake wasted no time hyping up his girl in the comments section. "Congratulations, I'm so proud of the incredible woman that you are," he wrote.

Jake later followed it up with an even sweeter Instagram post dedicated to Rabiya's achievement: "Congratulations on getting into UST FMS, on top of all the milestones you've already accomplished. Your future patients are lucky already." We honestly love this for her—and where do we sign up to get one? 🤔

Jake also made it very clear that he's more than ready for Rabiya's next title in life. He added, "Future Dra. Rabiya Mateo. ❤️"

Naturally, fans and celebrities alike flooded the comments section with congratulatory messages. Actress Carla Abellana even commented to confirm the news herself, to which Rabiya replied, "Yes, Carla. I just got accepted into UST❤️"

What makes this achievement even more meaningful is knowing how much Rabiya has gone through before getting here. Earlier this year, she bravely opened up about her mental health journey and revealed that she had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety distress in 2025. In a Facebook post shared in January, she candidly wrote, "I had several rounds of medication. I left the country for three months, so I wouldn't get triggered by people who have no idea what I've been going through."

Rabiya also shared that hearing the story of Kim Atienza and his late daughter Emman Atienza encouraged her to finally speak publicly about her own condition and experiences with mental health.

A month later, in February, Rabiya became even more transparent about taking a step back from showbiz projects to focus on a dream she has carried for years. During a podcast guesting with DJ Chacha, she shared, "I'm so happy to share this to everybody, to let you guys know that I'm going to go back to med school and I wanted to become a doctor ever since."

After temporarily stepping away from the entertainment industry and spending time in the United States to focus on her health, Rabiya said she eventually realized that the pause helped lead her back to the path that genuinely felt right for her. She explained that part of her motivation in pursuing medicine is "to understand my situation right now" and "to use my knowledge to help people."

This dream has been years in the making. Long before pageants and showbiz entered the picture, Rabiya graduated cum laude from Iloilo Doctors' College with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy degree.

Earlier this May, Rabiya also appeared on the Kwentong Callroom Podcast, where she spoke more openly about her long-standing dream of becoming a doctor. "Before pa 'ko mag-college, I've always wanted to become a doctor because my dad is a doctor sa U.S.," she shared. According to Rabiya, her mother also played a huge role in helping her choose Physical Therapy as her pre-med course, which her younger brother eventually pursued as well.

Preparing for medical school was not an easy decision either. Before taking the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT), Rabiya revealed that she had to make the difficult choice to discontinue her showbiz contract so she could fully focus on reviewing for the exam. But for her, it was all worth it. As she put it, "Money and fame, they're not everything in life."

She also shared some details about how seriously she prepared for the NMAT season. "I did enroll myself in a review center," she said, adding that she once worked as a lecturer in a review center herself. Because of that experience, she was able to apply several test-taking techniques she learned over the years, including elimination strategies for multiple-choice exams.

All that hard work clearly paid off. Last March, the NMAT results were released, and Rabiya earned an impressive 741 General Performance Score (GPS), placing her among the top 1% of examinees nationwide. She later reposted a Tatak Ilonggo Instagram Story celebrating the achievement.

And that's on beauty and brains. 💅 Congratulations, Rabiya!