After years of sleepless nights, countless editing drafts and navigating long queues on Animosys just to enlist courses, the academic chapter of my life finally draws to an end.

What once were days spent as a Communication Arts student in De La Salle University, carrying a tripod on my shoulders, a camera hanging around my neck and a script in hand, will now be replaced by a graduation toga and a diploma. These represent a journey shaped not only by creative work, but also by the strength it took to keep going through challenges, even when things were tough and no one sees.

People might assume that since I studied in a prestigious school, I must have come from a wealthy background. Some might even say that since I’m from the College of Liberal Arts, I have things easy. But my reality was different. I was a scholar, pursuing a creative course with limited financial resources, holding on to my passion in a world that often felt out of reach and full of uncertainties on what tomorrow will bring.

It feels just like yesterday when I struggled with online learning during the height of the pandemic with an old, laggy laptop and a broken camera that when professors asked us to turn on our video, I had no choice but to use my phone (that I’m still using until now), to log in with two Zoom accounts just to get by. I know that I’m in a better position than others, but it was still difficult.

Despite the circumstances, I joined a student organization, where I stayed for about two years before I decided to focus on my studies. It was the Center for Social Concern and Action – Lasallian Outreach and Volunteer Effort (COSCA-LOVE) that allowed me to not be confined by just academic work. There, I met new people and helped create publicity materials to connect with partner communities. It gave me a sense of purpose, allowing me to contribute and give back.

When in-person classes resumed, I was excited to finally set foot on campus, something I had longed for during the lockdown. It was refreshing to see my friends in person and not just on Zoom screen or via Discord, explore the university, try the food around the area and learn inside an actual classroom like a real college student.

In the university, we worked on various projects such as studio production, video editing, photography, film, radio and podcast creation and writing. I enjoy being able to take part both in front and behind of the camera, meeting new people, and going to places I’ve never been and will never be if not for those projects that also honed my skills. This program is not just about being creative and having fun, it is about being able to present messages in various forms and light, in which people could understand, absorb and make an impact.

However, the return to in-person classes still brought challenges. Transportation, meals and project expenses quickly added up. There were days, especially in the early times, where I skipped meals just to save some just in case there will be projects. My passion kept me going, but there were moments when survival and ambition pulled me in different directions.

Then came what many call the “gradwaiting” phase — that strange, quiet period between school and employment. With no more classes, deadlines, or group chats about project, there was silence I wasn’t used to. I wasn’t a student anymore, but I wasn’t working yet. I tried to convince myself that I deserved this break to recover from burnout, but instead, it became a time of uncertainty.

My family never pressured me to find a job immediately. But just staying at home carried an invisible expectation. I felt guilty for not doing anything. I kept asking myself, was this the right path? Was the course I took even practical? Will I be able to find work in this field once I graduate?

I spent those days updating my CV and portfolio, scrolling through JobStreet, LinkedIn and even Facebook, hoping to find a job. Then one day, shortly after the elections, I was at a mall with my best friends. We were eating when I saw a Facebook post saying that DAILY TRIBUNE was hiring. I took a screenshot. The next day, I applied, even if I felt that my skills weren’t enough. I told myself, maybe this was the sign I’d been waiting for. If I get rejected, at least I tried.

Within the week, I got a reply inviting me to an interview. Then came the second round. Before I knew it, I was hired. It was the first and only application I sent at that time. It was a big step for me. But that one step helped lift the fog of uncertainty I had been carrying for weeks. It was nerve-racking to start working in a place with no familiar faces around me. But it also felt like the beginning of something new, an opportunity to grow, to learn and to finally apply everything I had worked hard for.

Everything with that I am now was made possible through the help and support of the university, which gave me the opportunity to learn in a well-known institution, and most importantly, through my family and friends, who became my drive to move forward even if the path was unclear.

Now, I’m graduating as magna cum laude — not as proof of brilliance, but as evidence of perseverance. It was never easy, never smooth, but it was never out of reach either.