Liza Diño is celebrating a milestone moment as her daughter, Amara, secures admission to one of the world’s most competitive universities—Stanford. The former chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines shared the news on Instagram, posting a candid look at their family’s reaction. In the video, Amara is visibly emotional as she takes in the acceptance, with Liza and her husband, Ice Seguerra, right beside her.
Photo: Liza Diño-Seguerra/Facebook
“I AM A PROUD STANFORD MOM!!! Our daughter just got accepted to STANFORD UNIVERSITY!” Liza wrote.
Amara is set to pursue mechanical engineering as part of Stanford’s class of 2030. The university is known for its highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of around 4%, according to Forbes.
For Liza, the moment felt both surreal and deeply personal. She reflected on her daughter’s journey, recalling how Amara once struggled with Math and even attended Kumon to improve her grades.
“Never in a million years could I have imagined that my precious baby girl… just got accepted in one of the top [three] universities in the world,” she shared.
The announcement came shortly after Amara’s 18th birthday. Liza also opened up about the emotional lead-up to the results, describing the experience as something the whole family went through together.
Amara was also accepted into Columbia University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California. She was likewise waitlisted at Harvard University.
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Amid the excitement, Liza emphasized that the achievement was the result of consistent effort rather than chance.
“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,” she wrote.
She ended her message with reassurance as Amara prepares for the next chapter, expressing full support for whatever path her daughter chooses.
Amara also shared her own reflections online, giving a glimpse into the effort behind the results.
“I have worked VERY hard for this moment… I would study for tens of hours for tests… I do it because I love learning and because I knew one day it would pay off,” she wrote, while also thanking her family, friends, and educators.
Stanford University counts several prominent figures among its alumni, including former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, and Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger.
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