05/06/2026
| The Silent Rewards of the Unknown: A story of Courage and Resilience
| Jyn Kylzey Geolin & Enrico Jeric C. Nuevo
Most of the narratives we often hear begin with certainty—clear dreams, fixed plans, and a straight path toward something great. But the stories of Shaine Mae M. Mamolo and Danne Sasaban do not fully follow these familiar patterns. These graduating psychology students from Cebu Technological University–Argao Campus once served the Southern Ripples Publication, telling stories that inspired, opened eyes, and revealed truths. Now, it is their own journeys that quietly remind us how choosing something unsure and unfamiliar can still lead to meaning, growth, and silent rewards.
In the unlit spaces of doubt and hesitation, Shaine and Danne chose to move forward. Their stories show how courage, even when it does not feel loud or certain, can transform an unsure path into a life fully lived.
Shaine: Excellent, Courageous, Risk-Taker
For Shaine, the pursuit of excellence did not begin during the usual season of self-discovery in college. It was rooted much earlier in her life. “I started becoming an academic achiever during my elementary and high school years,” she shared. That early discipline set the tone for her academic life and pushed her to continue what she had already begun. “I carried that dedication with me throughout college as well,” she added.
Yet, as with many stories of achievement, success came with its own weight. “Based on my experience, one of the biggest struggles of being an academic achiever is being labeled as the ‘teacher’s pet’ or the favorite student,” she said. The label created distance, not understanding. “It becomes difficult when people start putting an invisible gap between you and them, as if you are expected to handle everything perfectly all the time.” Behind the medals and expectations was a young woman learning how to carry both praise and misjudgment at once.
Shaine’s path to psychology was not part of a long-held childhood plan. It emerged from uncertainty. “A lot happened in my life before I decided to take up BS Psychology. Honestly, I never imagined myself ending up in this program,” she admitted. Instead of following a neatly laid-out route, she chose something that felt meaningful, even if it was not fully clear at first. “At first, all I really knew was that I wanted to pursue something meaningful, something I genuinely loved, and something I chose for myself. Along the way, psychology became that path for me.”
A Detour into Campus Journalism
If college was a step into an uncertain course, campus journalism was an even more unexpected turn. Shaine had originally planned a quiet, ordinary college life. “When I entered college, I actually told myself that I would not join any organization and would just live a normal student life,” she said. But life rarely obeys our first drafts. “Things unexpectedly changed when I heard about the publication. I honestly do not know what got into me, but I applied to become a writer, and from there, my journey with the Southern Ripples Publication began,” she emphasized.
Once inside the publication, Shaine found herself facing a new kind of challenge: time. Balancing deadlines, responsibilities, and academic expectations became her daily routine. “One thing I have always practiced as a full-time campus journalist, even up until now, is compartmentalization. I strategically separate my academic responsibilities from my responsibilities in the publication. I make sure that they do not interfere with each other or become too overwhelming at the same time,” she explained. It was not just about working hard, but about working wisely.
Her journey in the publication was far from effortless. There were days when the weight of leadership felt almost unbearable. “…there were moments when I felt like the weight of the publication was on my shoulders because I had to make decisions not only for myself or for the staff, but also for the name and integrity of the publication while still considering the welfare of everyone involved,” Shaine said. In those moments, the course she once chose out of uncertainty—psychology—became one of her greatest tools. “I think studying psychology helped me become more open to different perspectives without immediately letting my emotions take over,” she reflected.
Duty Beyond Titles
Shaine eventually became the Editor-in-Chief of the Southern Ripples Publication and later served as its Editorial Consultant. But for her, the true work went beyond the title printed under her name. “…I believe my biggest role in the publication is to serve and to promote transparency for the students,” she said. In a time when information moves fast and trust can be fragile, she held on to the idea that student publications should remain a bridge between truth and the student body.
Being part of the publication reshaped the way she saw the world around her. “Being part of the publication made me realize that there is always more to life than what we immediately see on the surface. It taught me that there is always something deeper behind situations, people, and outcomes,” she noted. The newsroom became a classroom of its own, where stories were not just assignments, but entry points into human experience.
College, for Shaine, became a season of transformation. Through deadlines, late-night edits, and difficult decisions, she encountered versions of herself she did not know existed. Along the way, she gathered lessons she now hopes others will carry with them. “The advice I can give to students is to never be afraid of taking extra steps, as long as you are not stepping on other people in the process,” she remarked. Then she added a reminder that mirrors her own story: “Another thing is to say yes to opportunities. Take as many opportunities as you can, but also make sure that you know your limits and that you do not overwhelm yourself along the way.”
Danne: Pessimist, Outspoken, Resilient
There are people who walk into a room already knowing their place in it. Then there are those who arrive quietly, uncertain—and leave having reshaped the room entirely. Danne belongs to the second kind.
Long before bylines and editorial columns, she was a child in a store, picking up a newspaper—not for the comics, not for the games, but for the news. “Since I was young, I have been drawn to magazines and books, particularly those discussing current events,” she shared. That early curiosity grew with her, fed by television broadcasts, historical fiction, and books about war. Over time, her worldview was shaped not only by what she lived through, but by what she read and questioned.
Life, however, did not always respond kindly. By her own admission, pessimism runs deep in her—not as a flaw, but as a survival language learned early. Missed opportunities, plans halted by circumstances beyond her control, and an inner voice that often predicted failure even before it arrived—all of these left their mark. “I learned to expect the worst in every situation,” she said. Yet beneath that steady expectation of disappointment lies something quieter but firm: gratitude—for every small win, every chance to keep going when stopping might have been easier.
A Quiet Return to Journalism
Danne’s first step into journalism came in the 4th grade, but it was a brief encounter rather than a lifelong commitment. Years passed before she returned to it, this time as an editorial writer in Grade 10, where her team placed second in the DSPC. Even then, writing appeared and disappeared in her life like a recurring character, never fully gone, never fully constant. “Although my participation in journalism before college was intermittent, the fascination and interest I had in writing were always there,” she reflected, “simply taking different forms as the years passed.”
It was only in college—in the Southern Ripples Publication—that a once-flickering interest turned into something sustained. Still, joining SR was never part of her original plan. She only discovered the publication two weeks into the semester, and when recruitment finally opened, she was met not by certainty, but by doubt—including her own. Told that writers were expected to be versatile, and believing she was not, she almost chose to walk away. “Still, after years of scraping by, I will be leaving college as a senior member of the publication,” she said, with the quiet satisfaction of someone who understands how heavy that simple sentence truly is.
Within SR, Danne gravitated toward roles that did not always put her at the front of the room, but never left her out of the work. She preferred tasks that required foresight, patience, and care more than public visibility. Alongside every assignment and moment of hesitation stood one constant figure: Maria Rowena Plando, whose presence she credits as unwavering support throughout her four years in the publication.
A Political Voice in a Restless Climate
Now, as she prepares to leave college, Danne thinks carefully about the legacy she wants to leave behind. Publication-wise, she hopes to be remembered as someone who genuinely pushed for growth—encouraging fellow members to look farther, think deeper, and reach wider. But on a more personal level, she carries a more urgent message. “I want to be remembered as someone who constantly reminds people—especially student journalists—that everything is political, and that it is our responsibility to carry out our roles conscientiously in this constantly unresting societal climate,” she said.
When asked to describe her years with SR in just a few words, Danne chose two: “revelatory” and “character-building.” Not triumphant. Not easy. Revelatory in the connections she formed, in realizing that she could contribute to something larger than herself. Character-building in the near-resignations, the stretched limits, and the resilience that quietly grew each time she decided to stay. For someone who once expected to fail, she now leaves behind a steady line of proof that she did not.
Finding Grandeur in Uncertainty
Society often convinces us that having a foolproof plan is the ideal way to live—a path that promises picture-perfect moments and a straightforward route to our deepest desires. There is some truth in planning, in knowing where you want to go. But the stories of Shaine and Danne remind us that there is also quiet grandeur in journeys that begin with uncertainty.
Shaine stepped into a program she never imagined for herself and found meaning in both her classroom and the newsroom. Danne walked into the publication unsure of her place and left as a voice urging others to think critically, politically, and conscientiously. Neither of them started with a perfect map, yet both managed to carve out lives that matter—to themselves and to the people they have reached through their work.
The uncertainties that come with life may leave you unsettled, but it is in these unsettled spaces that we learn to take up room—to stand where we once felt small—and discover that we have what it takes to bring forth light. Not only for ourselves, but for the people with whom we share these spaces.
If you tell stories like theirs, you also remind others that even an unsure decision can become the starting point of a life worth looking back on.
Graphics | Kaye Savanna Rivera
