25/06/2025
Barrista Solutions | A Graduate’s Speech
Grit and Grace: A Struggling Working Student’s Journey Through Law School
I experienced a surreal plot twist a few years before the pandemic – a chance to pursue law as a scholar. For that intake, only around eighty of us were accepted out of hundreds of applicants. At the time, I had just graduated from college after nearly a decade of bouncing between call center jobs.
My academic and professional background wasn’t impressive. I transferred from one college to another almost as often as I hopped from one BPO company to another. I had no awards, honors, or promotions to speak of. Yet, I was given a golden opportunity to reach my dreams.
Indeed, the study of law is a jealous mistress. I was neither mentally nor financially prepared for my law school journey. I had to work on graveyard shifts as a call center agent after attending my evening law school classes and the toll was immense. Consequently, I failed three major subjects in my first year: Constitutional Law 1, Constitutional Law 2, and Persons and Family Relations.
I made a drastic decision: I left a well-paying call center job and took on two less lucrative ones — teaching high school students in the morning and working as a habal-habal or motorcycle taxi rider after my evening classes. It gave me more flexibility to study, but it was also tough, exhausting, and, at times, demeaning. Some of my “CS” (code we motorcycle taxi riders use to refer to passengers) were not the most polite and pleasant.
Still, the most hurtful words came not from my passengers, students, or even terror professors, but from a fellow law student. During a casual chat with a schoolmate while waiting for the results of a faculty deliberation, the conversation suddenly turned hostile. Frustrated with my academic standing, the student blurted out in the vernacular, “Puro ka kasi angkas.”
I can’t blame the student, who might have meant well. But those words hit me hard. If I had the means, I wouldn’t have chosen to be a working student. I wasn’t just working for money; I was fighting to survive and to stay in school. In my case, being a working student isn’t a simple choice; it’s a necessity.
Then the pandemic struck. I failed Civil Procedure and lost my scholarship. I left school — heartbroken and defeated. I thought I wasn’t cut out for it. But time away reminded me why I started in the first place: to build a better life, and to help others do the same.
A year later, I resumed my studies at another school. I was still a working student — this time as an HR officer in a government agency. I found my rhythm and passed all my subjects through to graduation. I even had time to serve in various student leadership roles. I also began my legal career early by working as a paralegal at a law office in Ortigas. I didn’t suddenly become brilliant or smarter. Law school wasn’t easier. I just held on to two things that made all the difference — grit and grace.
Grit is one’s silent strength driven by purpose. It helped me endure sleepless nights, back-to-back jobs, and the heartbreak of starting anew. For many, it is showing up to class when we’re physically and emotionally spent, reminding ourselves of our "whys" every day, and facing terrifying professors and difficult subjects with utmost humility and maximum effort.
Grace is what allowed me to keep going without bitterness — to forgive myself for failing, to stay kind despite the pain, and to rise again with dignity. For working law students, grace means being gentle with ourselves after a failed exam, choosing respect when our pride is wounded, and helping others in their struggles without needing applause.
Together, grit and grace give our journey as working law students the purpose, compassion, and character it deserves. Grit will get us through law school. Grace will remind us why it matters.
Every law student faces unique challenges and personal hurdles. Each journey is different — but every victory over those roadblocks is meaningful. I hope my story inspires fellow students of the law to keep going, no matter how hard the path gets.
I finally made it through law school. And with God’s grace, so can you.
*Jerlo Kevin P. Rialp is a graduate of Arellano University School of Law, Batch 2025. H is currently an Underbar Associate at Quicho Law Offices in Pasig City.
