Finding my center

MANILA, Philippines - It is fascinating to recall events in our lives that made us who we are today. Sometimes we have experiences we would rather not have endured, which we learn to appreciate only when we look back. Countless people arrive in our lives, some of whom we know well, while others are complete strangers. But one thing is certain – each of them makes our lives richer.

As a kid, my favorite pastime was watching basketball, and my favorite college basketball team was the De La Salle Green Archers. In the early 2000s, the team won four consecutive championships. Since then, I dreamed of being an Archer someday. I never realized how pricey college education would be, or what it would take to study in a prestigious university, but I insisted that someday I would study at La Salle. My father never said that my dream was impossible; instead he encouraged me to continue dreaming.

Ten years later, I achieved my first dream and graduated from my dream school.

I was born on a hot afternoon in a hospital ward somewhere in Pampanga. I know every detail of the story of my birth since my mother, every time I did something wrong, always reminded me of how she had almost died giving birth to me. My parents say that I was a very quiet child. I rarely played outside but was eager to go to school – not a common characteristic of a child brought up in Tondo.

The first school I attended was Timoteo Paez Elementary School, where I also suffered my first school trauma. At the early age of 5, I was enrolled in a Grade 1 class consisting of more than 60 students. Being two years younger than my classmates, I was the smallest and the main target of young bullies. I stopped going to school for a month, which forced my parents to look for another school. With the help of the principal of T. Paez, my parents found a school where I belonged – the Center for Excellence in Elementary Education or CENTEX Manila.

My childhood at CENTEX was very enjoyable. I felt the security I didn’t have in my previous school. We had privileges a lot of students must have wished they had, and the quality of education could compete with that of a private school.

I had my first taste of competition when I participated in a math contest with students from different elementary schools in Metro Manila. This encouraged my competitive nature and led me to discover my talent in solving math problems.

The development of my analytic skills paved the way for me to study in one of the most competitive high schools in the Philippines.

I had never heard of Philippine Science High School before. If elementary was simple and enjoyable, the same could not be said about life in high school. The thought of staying in a dormitory away from my parents scared me, coupled with the idea of competing with the brightest students in the Philippines. I almost quit.

The encouragement I needed then, I got from my father. Having been laid off a couple of times and having entered multiple types of businesses, my father was no stranger to new circumstances. He told me that it was normal to feel fear when facing the unfamiliar, and the best I could do was to face what troubled me, for I would face it again and again throughout my life.

My life changed when I entered Pisay. It became more complicated and I had to try a bit harder than most kids my age. I experienced disappointments I rarely felt earlier in my life. High school was fast paced; my feelings of being exhausted, energized, disappointed, and satisfied fluctuated rapidly.

I found it difficult to study subjects I wasn’t interested in. Luckily, I had a lot of support from my friends, my CENTEX family, and my parents. They made me realize my mistakes and also gave me sensible advice. As my favorite Beatles song goes, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

Choosing a course for college came very easily for me. I knew what I was good at and I wanted to pursue a career involving statistics, so I chose to be a math major.

Having a full scholarship from DLSU, financial assistance from the Department of Science and Technology, and additional support from Lito Sibayan, I thought that our finances would steadily improve from then on.

But suddenly things got worse. One day my mother came home and told my father that the factory where she had worked for 30 years had closed.

Unfortunately, my father also worked for the same company. We, as a family, tried different side jobs to survive. I sold homemade candies and bread to my classmates to help my parents, while they tried their luck at selling home-cooked meals to our neighbors.

My parents packed food for me so that I didn’t have to buy lunch at the canteen. I also tutored my classmates and some varsity athletes for extra income.

I had a brief realization of what I had to do; because every time I wanted to quit, there was a reason to keep going.

What kept me going was the knowledge that many people had made great efforts to help me achieve my goals and it was appropriate that I persevere in order to give back. After a while, my father found a new job and everything went back to normal.

Finally, after 10 years of dreaming, I graduated from college. I received my bachelor’s degree last October. I am determined to do my best in my chosen field to recognize the assistance given by those who believed in me.

Currently I am in a three-month training program conducted by Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) to improve my knowledge in statistical research. In another 10 years, I hope to achieve another dream – to travel to at least five countries and be a respected business analyst.

Many times in our lives, events we deem very insignificant can alter our future. Sometimes I look back and imagine: what if I had stayed on at T. Paez, or if Ayala Foundation had started CENTEX one year later than it had? I wouldn’t have met the people who gave me the chance to realize my dreams.

I know there is still a long journey ahead and that there will be more events that will affect my future, but I will always be grateful for the moment when I came across the organization that lit up the roads I am traveling upon.

The author graduated with the first batch of students at CENTEX Manila in 2005. CENTEX is a public school learning environment where children from economically disadvantaged families can receive a quality education at par with the best private schools in the country.

CENTEX operates two public schools – one in Tondo, Manila and another in Bauan, Batangas. It also enjoys the distinction of being one of the top five schools in Manila, regularly ranking high achievement test scores. Apart from academics, CENTEX also helps children develop their full potential in art, sports, technology, ethics or leadership.