“Dream it, be it” the moment that I heard this phrase when I am in high school it

made a big impact in my life, in my dreams, and in my mind. This made me driven all the
time. A magical phrase for my ears. A phrase that ease the pressure, a phrase where I get
all my courage.

A beautiful daughter, the eldest among siblings and eldest among cousins. Living in
the lands of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. A breadwinner of the family also a future traveler,
future dream catcher. A survivor of shallowness of life. A product of a broken family but I
have the greatest parents, lucky to have them. Let us just say that things are not yet in its
right places that is why it happened. A jolly person who always see the brighter side, a hot
headed “ate” because I want my siblings and cousins to grow as decent person like how the
elders taught me.

I have experienced the worst in life, but I do know that there were a lot worser than
mine. But that “worst” made me who I am today. I grew up helping my mother on how to
survive in our daily life, helping her to give the very best for my siblings with that I become a
strong independent woman. I value family like a diamond. I have been a working student
since senior high school in the busy world of the Metro. Been into a world-known fast-food
chain, McDonald’s. The moment I stepped my foot on the land of the metro, I earn for my
living and for my studies and I do help my family. Juggling work and studies is a piece of
cake for me, and you are right it is all about time management and discipline.

They say friends are gifts of God, and I think God loves me so much giving me tons
of friends that I can lean on every time I feel the sky and land betrays me. With them, my life
gets easier, with them my life gets happier and with them I always live my life to the fullest.

Speaking of which, I always hope for a better world where hunger and poverty will be
eradicated one day. With this I may say I have the courage to lead. I am currently the
Secretary General of PUP San Juan’s Student Assembly and the Class President. I might
say this will help in the future for helping other courageous leaders to eradicate the
challenges of the world.

Having a heart on cooking is the greatest inheritance I get from my grandparents.

Cooking is my stress reliever as well as doing arts and crafts such as journals, scrapbooks,
calligraphies, and many more is a thing that I inherited from my dad. Being athletic is part of
me, I play volleyball the most and my favorite. I also like reading fantasy stories and
watching sci-fi movies and documentaries and I would not forget Korean dramas that made
me feel kilig all the time.
 Studying Financial Management for me was an accident but also a blessing in
disguise. I always dreamed of being a teacher of history or science but my mom insisted me
to took up accountancy but I didn’t want to take risk because I am a working student and
studying accountancy needs a full attention because of the dos policy. So, I jumped into its
sister course Financial Management. As far as I know, this was formerly called Banking and
Finance but there are some changes with the course titles. And with that Banking and
Financial Institutions subject will be giving us the idea of the field of what we are about to go
after college. I expected more of how does each bank, financial institutions flow. I wanted to
have a deeper understanding where I can clearly see myself in the future.

The distance learning is indeed a new challenge for the students and for the teachers
as well on how to survive the academic year, that would really test your passion and
willingness to study and to teach. This new abnormal mode of learning for me is a great way
on how to cope up with the digital or information age. For me this is a blessing in disguise
although it is a big challenge for all of us in the academe. Imagine, being able to explore the
digital world is a great experience, because here in our country it is not really exercised. For
me, this is an opportunity for us to expound our knowledge on adding another mode of
learning to the students so it can also help each and everyone. This online learning is also a
way on bridging the digital divide, which really helps to information and communications
literacy.

Hence, many of the students want an academic freeze due to the changing of the
learning modality but I personally do not want the act of it. Because if the Philippines will not
produce graduates for this school year it will also affect the economy in the future. Also,
education must go on. We are like BDO, we find ways.

I am Ivory Mae D. Montecillo, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major

in Financial Management student. Ready to engage on the new normal and ready to help
the other students to survive the academic year.