03/12/2021
𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 | 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗡𝗨 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺
If face-to-face classes are the current setup instead of online classes, many students would have walked a mile or two from their boarding house to school due to the lack of money for jeepney fares. Some would even resort to “pamukong”, which is dangerous but normal and proven useful to students. If there were face-to-face classes, many would have experienced skipping meals and asking “free sabaw” from the carenderia.
These experiences make our student life challenging. But sometime in the future, when we look back, we will be proud of overcoming struggles, and those who hear our stories will be inspired.
Here goes the similar story of Vincent Bayawa, a 2019 alumnus of Cebu Normal University, who ranked first place in the September 2021 Licensure Examination for Teachers.
“I sometimes walk from Labangon to CNU before as I spent my last pennies for photocopies. I sometimes even went to school without any money in my pocket, skipping snacks and lunch. When I was renting near the school, I even tried sleeping whole day because I have no food and boiling water from the faucet to alleviate hunger,” says Bayawa.
Bayawa adds that those experiences taught him to become strong and to persevere. He says that he learned such attributes from his father who used to say, “life is hard, you just need to be tough”.
His father wasn’t wrong about life being tough. After finishing his degree in BSED-Biological Sciences, his motivation to study for the board exam flickered, like a flame struggling on a damp wick.
“To be honest my LET preparation was not easy. After it was postponed several times, I completely lost my motivation to study not until the final week before the exam. It may sound unreal, but I was able to focus on reviewing one week only before the exam,” the 22-year-old Normalite admits.
Bayawa found it challenging to review and work at the same time. Aside from studying for the exam, he was also providing food for the family, after his father quit doing construction jobs.
“I worked as a call center agent since June [2021] and I am having my masteral classes every weekend, so sneaking time to review was really hard. I even prayed to be part of the batch 2 takers as I felt that I was not ready. I asked for a one-week leave from my TL before the exam and only four days was granted.”
When asked if he has had the feeling that he was going to top the exam, he said he didn’t expect he would be number one, although he shared the dream of every Normalite to have a standee of themselves in front of the Admin Building.
“To be honest I got a feeling that I will top, but not Top 1. I was thinking rank 4 and below. I actually counted my mistakes after the exam and never imagined that I will rank first,” he says giddily.
The science ju**ie could never feel any prouder of his achievement. From those years of sacrifices to being the Top One, everything is still surreal to him.
“Being a topnotcher is a big blessing. I even feel like I am still dreaming. It really meant a lot to me and it’s something that I hardly prayed to God since the time I graduated.”
To motivate others, Bayawa has a message for future LPTs.
“To the future takers, never doubt yourself. No dream is too big for a big dreamer. I do believe that our mind is very powerful that as long as we believe, we can. You surely can do it. . . fighting teachers!” he says, telling the aspirants to rest on God’s plans and let Him take control of everything.
He believes that as long as you allow God’s guidance to lead you, you will always pass whatever exam you’re taking no matter the short time spent on reviewing. All you have to do is pray and claim it, and surely the skipped meals, long walks, and “pamukong” will pay off.
Words by Gamaliel Languido
Layout by Maria Eloeza Mendoza