UP Years: What was, What is and What will
- Chiquikay
- Feb 12, 2016
- 3 min read
This essay is written for my P.I 100 Class under Prof.Jonathan de la Cerna.
April 17,2015
“Iskolar ng Bayan! Patuloy na lumalaban!”
A loud voice echoed all over the conference hall.I considered that moment as one of the unforgettable seconds in my whole existence. It was then, when I got to realize that I unlocked another life goal; to be in my dream university.
Let us backtrack a bit. University of the Philippines is the only school in which I perceived myself to be in. Am I too ambitious? Honestly, I never thought of that before. The reason why I chose UP is because, my sisters both graduated in this institution and I have always wanted to follow their achievement. I felt the pressure throughout my senior year in high school and more and more pressure during the UPCAT. Fortunately, I got in and my iska life started.
2011. My first ever year in UP. I belonged to the Fine Arts program, which is known to be the “weird” community of the campus. I found myself surrounded with long-haired guys, covered with tattoos, high-fashioned girls, cool looking professors and few simple ones. UP was way too different from the schools that I have been. The only thing I asked that time was, “Do I really belong here? Am I on the right direction?” Surprisingly, later on, I found comfort with them. I discovered how crazy and free I can be in a different way. I met more people that understand and think like me. We share similar hobbies, perspectives, ideas, etc. In short, I found a family.
Aside from the social and emotional connection, this community also let me discover a new thing that I can do. I had the chance to develop my brain’s right portion. I know in myself that I have always been into art and design during my younger years but I did not have the chance to build it up because I gave all my attention into academics then totally left out my passion. I am very glad that life brought me here; to be in UP and merge the academics with my childhood passion.
2012.2013.2014.2015. Time flies so fast; I can’t pick and think of a good event to share. There is only one thing in common all throughout these years, and that is Stress. It is a common and I think the most popular line every UP student would say every single day. Nevertheless, despite the exhaustion that UP brings, it never fails to come up with new and healthier intellectual capacity in exchange. I myself experienced physical, mental, and financial stress but I am very proud to say that my hardworks are always paid off at the very end of the semesters; and receiving certificates of merit every year served as my fuel to always do my best despite the difficulties.
Another thing that I grabbed from UP is to be rational. Diverse ideologies, beliefs and tactics build up the real UP community, nobody’s right or wrong, everyone has the chance to be heard and be understood. Arguments sprout anywhere, from a small issue which then on leads to a larger scope. This behavior among the community might not be understood correctly by many others but is very essential for a healthy relationship in the society. There is no specific course for this but the effect of this idea spreads all over the population. How awesome is that? UP taught me to listen to my surroundings and be aware of things that need to be seen.
I am honored to say that my four-year stay in UP has been fruitful and worth remembering. Entering this institution is one of the best decisions I have done for my whole life and I will never regret this for sure. I found the exact sense why in the first place I chose to be in here, and that is to learn more about myself among a diverse population. If I were given a chance to change anything, I will never lay a hand on my “What was” for I am now satisfied of my “What is” that will influence my “What will” in the future.
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