Young man on the go

His optimism and confidence earned him his job. At an early age of seventeen, he was employed as a call center agent and recently been regularized.

Reynald Capablanca, 18, is the eldest among three siblings. His father is an employee in a private company and his mother is a housewife. "The fact that I grew up in a family below average line, I've learned to focus on things to make my life better. I always set goals," he said. He feels that he has a big responsibility to his family, so wherever opportunities are, he's there, too. "I'm a risk-taker. I'm not afraid of challenges and I love doing things which I haven't done before," he added.

From his previous school in Cebu City Medical Center-College of Nursing, he transferred to the University of the Philippines Cebu College and enrolled in Psychology. In order to meet the demand of his job, he only took afternoon classes. "I would never trade school with work," he said. "I am not in a hurry, anyway."

Having so much passion for music, from having been a member of UP High School Glee Club, he is now the president of UP Serenata, the choral group of the university. Despite his responsibilities in school and at work, he still devotes his time to regular practice of Serenata every Tuesday and Friday from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

"I just sing all my troubles and tiredness away," he said. Whenever he's inside the music room and able to hear the sweet sound of the piano, even how stressful the day has been, he always feels lighter. He believes that dedication is the key for surviving and managing time, despite how busy one is.

Human as he is, there came a point when he felt like quitting, but it happened only once. That time, he wanted to live the normal life of a person his age. He admits that he's not having any social life at all. He doesn't have the luxury to watch television, go to the mall, stroll and hang out with friends.

"I allowed myself to be paid for not having a life," he confessed. However, the tiredness of the job pays off. Somehow, he was able to have some things he longed for, without asking money from his parents. He is the one paying for their house rent, his own tuition fee and school allowance. He even provides allowances for his siblings, sometimes.

Reynald's motivation was not just the salary, but more on his responsibility to his family. "I also feel that I inspired other people," he said. That is one of the greatest rewards he gained.

He believes that experience comes with maturity, not age. One of the greatest things he learned is the true value of money. "I opened my savings account," he said. From his experience, he found out that he can compete with the real world.

"I just want to share something," Reynald quoted from a book he read, "there are three kinds of people; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who ask 'what happened?'."

Which one do you want to be?