Passing Ateneo

Passing Ateneo

I got this unstoppable urge to boast... forgive me...

Personal Essay

“Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized that have helped define you as a person?”

A man is created by his past and changed by tomorrow. “How little it takes to make or break us.” A single strand in time can construct you into what you will be before the very second of your death. Sometimes you stumble, sometimes you fall, and sometimes God gives you the courage to pick yourself up again, dust yourself off and continue with your life. I am a man of many experiences, mostly good ones I guess. All the hardships I have in life, I believe, are made by God to make one stronger and better than he was yesterday

The experience I value the most was receiving my very first accolade at 2^nd Grade, it was a medal for 2^nd Honors. It might seem shallow but standing on stage for the first time in front of many people awoke me to the measure of my capabilities. I was proud to be good at something at last.

The medal opened my eyes to brand new horizons. Suddenly I thought to myself, “Surely I can do better.” So I studied. Every time, after going home from school, I would rummage through our so-called “library” which was merely just a cabinet filled with books and such. I would take hold of a book everyday and promise myself to finish it no matter what happens, even if the words were too hard to understand. I was told that books can take you on a journey to places where you have never been before. In front of me were pieces of the world just waiting to be discovered. I journeyed to Taj Mahal in India, vacationed in the beaches of Hawaii, got chased by tribes of many sorts, got killed on a plane crash in Amsterdam and feasted with the Knights of the Round Table with nothing but a book in my hand. Through these books I learned a lot and because of reading I did better at school. Receiving my very first award for 1^st Honors delighted me. I was now confident of my capabilities. At school I joined clubs, drama plays, quiz bees, varsities, and art competitions trying to sense what other things I can do good at. Getting into my school’s badminton varsity team was also one of my most treasured experiences.

I thank God so much everyday that he made me the way I am. I know that God has a purpose for me which would probably be too hard to discern because of its greatness. I believe God has prepared something for all of us, something too good for us to know yet. The Lord did not bestow our family with exorbitant amounts of money so my parents do not answer to my every whim but we do enjoy the little luxuries of life which my dad could sometimes afford. I like to think of my successes as treasures more valuable than money itself. I am proud and thankful of all my experiences in life, be it good or bad, because I am proud of what I am today.