Arpilleda, Mera Princess E.

1. Why do you want to study law?

Law affects every part of our lives -- crossing the streets, owning a house, buying

something from a store, using social media and the list goes on.

My parents are poor. I grew up seeing and living the many ways that those who were

born to poor families are marginalized and discriminated. I remember how my

mother had to deal with many insults from our “classy” neighborhood just because

we had a small house, that my parents couldn’t afford to buy us new clothes for

school events/parties, that we couldn’t have a single appliance at home because we

only had enough to live by. Nobody would dare lend us money during emergencies

for fear we couldn’t afford to pay it.

Now that I’ve come to age, I came to fully understand how powerful knowledge is

and how is education a great equalizer. I am doing this firstly, to realize my father’s

dream for himself, secondly to gain skills that will help me better understand about

the law, about the society we’re living in, how law affects our everyday lives.

Thirdly, to develop these skills so I would be able to speak the truth to power, protect

the weak, defend the rights of the underprivileged and bridge the gap between what is

and what should be.

I wanted to be involved and I see law as the only field which profoundly and clearly

impacts and pervades society and humanity.