‘Nun’ of the above: How a twenty-year-old student defied millennial career odds through her

thriving faith and ‘calling’ of service

It was a strange feeling for her to enter a new environment, meet new set of people and be
someone she wasn’t used to be before – but even though it was far from her usual sight –
transferring to Rogationist College made her ignite more to her cause.
With a usual day-to-day uniform, she stood in front and introduced herself. She looked like the
usual teenage that time, filled with high hopes and untamed desires for teenage adventures, but
when she was asked:
‘’What was your dream profession? To be a teacher? Journalist? Lawyer? Artist?’’
She suddenly uttered with a beam, ‘’None of the above po,’’
Talking to some students of my age, most of them dream of becoming engineers,
teachers, accountants, and other academic-related professions. I don’t see any problem with that,
for as a thriving student, I, too, want to give my family a living that can support them through ages
and a comfortable life that they deprived by themselves just to bring me to school. But for this
twenty-year-old damsel I met, she was just like other students out there, enjoying the life on
teenage years with the company of friends – but unlike them, she’s bound for another path ahead
– a path that we mistakenly see as something odd for this generation – but for Janet Fedaranga,
G12-St. Faustina – her true calling is to be a nun.
‘’ When I was 7, I got inspired by some priests I know that made me secretly desired to become
a follower of Christ, also, I started joining church activities for I was aware that time of the scarcity
of youth choosing to serve Him,’’ she said.
Coming from her guileless roots in Banton, Romblon, Janet lived a life serving God despite
the dearth of resources her family has to deal every day, ever since she was a child, she has
been actively participating in church-related activities, joining youth organizations and serving the
community through spreading God’s message. But upon growing up, she started to notice how
youth serving God in her community gets lesser as years pass.
For her, this generation has molded up youth who are finding more fulfillment in achieving
money over their hard work rather than serving the Lord – and this brought her to desire for a
career that differs her from other teenagers of her age she knew back then – becoming a nun.
‘’To be honest, I don't have any dreams before. I have set my goals already and the only thing
that I want in my life to achieve is to become a nun someday, calling ko ata talaga ito’’ she added.
While building up her dream, she entered her secondary level in Banton National
Highschool where she got exposed of human realities regarding faith and dreams of youth today.
Her experiences brought her to realize more things about her chosen path. Her living
insufficiencies and the kind of living her community experiences back then became an inspiration
for her to urge more in becoming a nun.
‘’ I want to pursue to become a nun because I want to serve Him (Jesus) and His people especially
the little ones the poor, the marginalized, the sick, and etc, they were the ones whom I urged my
influence and inspiration to continue my vocation,’’ she added.
 In the middle of her studies, she had to make a big decision of moving from Romblon to
Laoag, to continue her studies and due to some familial reasons. Though hard for her leave the
place that grew her longing for a change in youth faith, she tried her luck continuing her studies
in Divine Word College of Laoag in Ilocos. And after a year, she moved to Rogationist College-
Silang – an institution different from the two schools she entered – a more liberal and challenging
pace for her.
‘’ I can say that transferring to RC at first was very difficult especially when it comes to socializing
with the new students and with the peers. I found it hard to socialize with them because I am not
like them who are active in everything. I found it hard to adjust myself because of what I have
been through inside the convent and the different values I have instilled in me compared to them
who are somewhat liberal, ecstatic,’’ she added.
Although it was a feeling of estrangement that Janet felt while adjusting, her classmates
already seen in her the potential of becoming a nun.
Knowing that it was anew for some to have met someone like her, she wasn’t shocked
when they kept on asking her about her choice of becoming nun.
‘’ My classmates asked me many questions when they came to knew that I want to become a
nun. They asked me why I want to become a nun, what are the things that encourage me to
become a follower of Christ, what are the sign that I have experienced in my calling. And why I
need to go far away in my family and to let go everything.’’ She said.
And even though she was on bound for it, she still tried to live like the usual RCian – and for her
that was something that she will treasure.
‘’Kahit alam namin na mag-mamadre siya, alam mo yun, nakikijoin siya sa kalokohan namin,
masaya siya palagi, she was living the normal life of teenager, pero syempre hindi mawawala sa
kanya yung pagiging religious, may hawak siyang bible palagi, nagrereflect siya ganon, masaya
siyang kasama,’’ Asia Jerao, her seatmate, said.
According to her, it was a kind of hard to adjust at first because coming from a convent
environment where you get used to be at your modest at most times, being in Rogationist College,
brought out her Gen Z self - more than she expected. But in the latter part, she said that she was
lucky to meet the students of RC especially her classmates who get to respect her principles and
beliefs in her path.
‘’Here in RC, I got to discover more that I shouldn’t confine myself in one kind of perspective, that
if you really want to give solution to the problems of today’s youth, you should go and immerse
yourself from those. You need to experience, how it feels to be a youth of this generation, and
this really ignited my faith towards my vocation,’’ she said.
From her stay in Rogationist College, Janet also emphasized how RC values helped her
to mold and prepare herself towards the vocation she was about to enter to.
‘’ The values that I have gained and learned in RC are God first, be helpful especially to the poor,
be honest, be loveable, and be humble. I learned that the core values embody my vocation, and
I’m proud that I entered this institution,’’ she added.
But apart from everything, one thing that she realized upon taking her class in Rogationist
College was how her vocation needs the youth force. According to her, the state of a nuns here
in the Philippines is not easy and it's very hard too to cope the problems that they are encountering
in the society. They make their self-busy in praying hard and making a sacrifice for the peace and
unity all over the world – yet being undermined by some as for them – it is a career that you don’t
get to earn.
She finds it hard to promote her vocation everywhere for them because the youth are being
seeded with material offerings of the world that get their attentions and block their true calling in
life.
However, in spite of everything, Janet still poses high hopes on youth regarding entering
the path of vocation. For her, the fight doesn’t end here – and it’s not too late for them to realize
their calling.
‘’I am pursuing this vocation because I want to give back to the Lord with all the things I’ve received
in my life. Masasabi ko na masaya ang maging madre kahit di pa ako ganap na isang madre.
Masaya ako na maglilingkod sa mga tao at kay Jesus. Kahit mahirap ang mga gawain pero never
ako napagod kasi lahat naman diba ng gawain ay dapat bigyan ng pagmamahal lalo na kung ito
ay gusto mo. Naging challenging man ang buhay ko sa loob ng convent, ito ay nag-iwan naman
ng realizations at mga pagbabago sa buhay ko at ikinasaya ito ng mga magulang ko. Hindi ko
ikinalulungkot na hindi ko masusuportahan at matutulungan ang pamilya ko sa financials balang
araw pero ipinapangako ko sa kanila na andito ako lagi sa kanila na nag susuporta sa spiritual
life nila. Kahit against sila sa dreams ko ipapaglaban ko parin yung taong mahal ko na ipinaglaban
rin ako sa hirap at ginhawa upang tubusin ako kami sa kasalanan. I am partially painted-canvas
because there are many difficulties and challenges in following Him....But suffering is not
perpetuity to become a nun. At sana yun din ang maisip ng kapwa ko kabataan sa panahon
ngayon na ang tunay na treasure natin sa buhay ay hindi matutumbasan ng kahit anong salapi
kung hindi ito ay ang kagalakan sa puso natin na nakakapaglingkod tayo sa kapwa at sa Diyos
kahit walang kapalit,’’ she said.
And for other teenagers like her who are willing to serve the Lord and enter the vocation,
she has an unsolicited advice especially that this generation has built such odds that defined the
youth today.
‘’ Sa mga gustong mag madre o nag paplano plang sa mga taong nararamdaman ang calling ni
God,a please never ignore it. Masaya ang paglingkuran o mag lingkod sa Kanya at sa mga tao.
Kung against man ang parents niyo sa dreams niyo na maging madre, please learn to fight for
your calling kasi napakagandang gift yun ni God sa mga taong may vocation. Nasasabi niyo lang
na hindi yayaman ang mga madre pero ang hindi niyo alam ay nasa langit ang kayamanan nila.’’
she concluded.
For Janet, encouraging the youth to enter the vocation is an arduous task, however,
meeting and immersing herself to the realities of life especially the lives of the teenagers today
urged her more to do her best to help them free themselves from the odds that define them.
Her journey in Rogationist College was indeed a gift for her from the Lord, according to her. And
after ten months of her uphill-downhill ride, at last, the day came.
Janet that time was just like any other student that day, wearing her uniform under this
dark blue and white hued graduation toga – she came to the gym with her sisters in big smiles
seeing hundreds of other students who are with them celebrating their commencement exercise.
For some, this could just be a start of entering the collegiate world and making the difference to
their individual fate, but for Janet, graduating from HUMSS is just a start of her critical journey of
defying odds of her generation and restoring the faith of the youth – through her calling.
‘’See you guys!! Dapat mga guro na kayo ha, attorney, sundalo,’’ she uttered.
It was just a typical graduation farewell for Janet - looking forward of seeing friends to commit to
their dreams in just time.
And before she returned to her sisters, they shouted, ‘’See you soon, Sister Janet!’’
Everyone looked after her, maybe seeing it as a joke, she just made a smirk– but for Janet,
herself, after that day, she’s now up for something different yet fulfilling, now that soon enough
when she gets to return to her community in Romblon and the RC community, her hopes are
higher that her none before – will already be a nun that time.