DATE: Sunday, June 15, 1997                 TAG: 9706130201

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 16   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER JACOBSON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   66 lines

HONOR GRAD CREDITS EARLY LESSONS IN HARD WORK AND INDEPENDENCE

Most kids go to college in search of independence, testing their ability to survive on their own.

Czer Anthoney E. Lim already knows he can take care of himself, even though he's just finishing high school.

The 17-year-old immigrant from the Philippines graduated from Tallwood High Saturday, leaving his Cedar Hills home with the help of a $20,000 scholarship from The Coca-Cola Company. The scholarship will help pay his living expenses. He's already received a full scholarship for tuition and fees from the College of William and Mary.

Coca-Cola awards the prestigious scholarships each year to 50 high school seniors across the country. Another 100 kids get $4,000 scholarships.

Lim was Tallwood's only nominee for the award.

Lim is modest about his achievements. He attributes much to his mother.

He was 7 months old when his father died. His mother, Carmelita Losoloso, found herself alone to raise her two young sons.

For four years, she struggled in the Philippines to support Anthony and his older brother, Czerton Lim. But it was too difficult to make a living there, so she decided to find work in the United States.

She got a work visa for herself, but couldn't get visas for her sons. She moved to the United States, leaving the boys in the care of an aunt for nearly two years.

In 1985, mother and sons were finally reunited in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Losoloso had found work as a registered nurse. She worked nights so she could be at home with her sons during the day. A neighbor watched the two boys at night, but Anthony and his brother were responsible for getting themselves ready for school every morning.

``My brother was just three years older than me, so we learned to take care of ourselves pretty well,'' Lim said. ``My mom worked a lot. I was one of those latch-key kids.

``I don't think it did any harm to me,'' he said. ``Actually, I think it made me stronger.''

There were other people who didn't agree. Some criticized Lim's mother for the way she left them to care for themselves while she worked.

``Some people, when I relate that story, say my mom wasn't a very good mother,'' he said. ``But I don't resent my mom one bit for our situation because I know that everything she did was for us.''

Losoloso emphasized to her sons the importance of education and contributing to the community.

Lim has been active at Tallwood. This year, he was the school's Student Council Association president and chairman of the citywide SCA. He also was a member of the executive committee of the National Honor Society.

He was salutatorian of his class, with a GPA of nearly 4.23.

Besides racking up points in the classroom, Anthony played on Tallwood's championship tennis team. The Lions won the district tournament this spring.

Lim became determined to work hard in school and win scholarships after watching his mother struggle to pay for his older brother's first year of college at William and Mary.

He also has received scholarships from the Air Force ROTC and Tylenol.

Lim plans to take on double majors in chemistry and biology, in preparation for medical school. He would like to become a surgeon and work with Operation Smile, a Norfolk-based group of physicians who perform surgery on children from third-world countries. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS

Tallwood graduate Anthoney Lim has earnded several scholarships,

which he'll use to attend the College of William and Mary.

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