The parents of Gregoria came all the way from San Joaquin, Iloilo to attend her graduation from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) School of Nursing. They rode a kalesa from San Joaquin to Iloilo City, and sailed to Manila via the ship M.V. Maynilad. It was an overnight trip. They stayed in the house of their relatives in Manila and waited for the day when their daughter Gregoria would graduate from the University of the Philippines, the only state university during the American colonial era in the country.Gregoria Serra was a state scholar.