In entering the Ateneo de Manila High School in 2016, as a wide-eyed 12-year-old child,

I vaguely asked myself, “WHAT awaits me in this chapter of my life?”. “What will happen to me
in high school?”

In entering junior high, all I can say is that boy, was it a period of big adjustments. What
started out with pure ecstasy that the excitement brings of entering this new frontier of
adolescence along with new and old friends alike, quickly turned into this organized chaos of
cramming for my first ever experience of a real long test. What initially began as “just a
sleepless night” quickly turned out to be successive events of compromising rest and sleep, just
to make time for my studies. Subjects such as English and Reading slowly turned into literature.
Filipino and Araling Panlipunan became Filipino history and social studies. Christian Life
Education was borderline theology. And well, Math… It was still math!

To say that it was challenging, was an understatement. However, looking back at those
tough times, I am sure all of my batchmates would agree with me that it wasn’t that “tough” in
all actuality. During those moments, the question that lingered in my mind was “WHY was it
so?”

Perhaps it was that along with the stressful mornings filled with uncertainties of
whether I could do good in class or not, it was also filled with the hope and joy that at the very
least I am not going through this alone. Along with every strict teacher who would happen to
give me a hard time, whether warranted or not, I always knew that I will have my classmates
and friends to comfort me and probably just laugh out the mishaps.

Academics are academics, although the mode of teaching changed during these times of
the pandemic, the subject matters still remained the same. If there was one thing that was
constant during these uncertain times, it was WHO were with me.

WHO my friends are to me is easily answered by one word; constants. May it be the
many campus personnel with all the courteous greetings every time we pass by each other, or
our teachers who give their all to mold us into being the ideal holistic young men by the time
we graduated, or all of my peers who are always there with me during all the highs and the
lows, all I can say is that all of these people, you people are the CONSTANTS of those times.

To be honest, I did not begin with the end in mind. Through the “hustle and bustle” of
this crazy journey, it was only towards the end that I knew WHEN I was about to finish my high
school life. It went by so fast yet so slow. I was deeply immersed in every class, intramurals, fair
and even the occasional soirees and interactions.

When I felt most “in it” was during these times that I shared with my classmates. Those
long nights writing a reflection paper or a book report was when I felt most focused. It was
those intense intramurals matches against my batchmates that made me feel most competitive
in every sense of the word. It was during the high school fair that I felt most free and had so
much fun with my peers. It was within every waking day of my whole high school life that I felt
complete. That I felt most alive.

As this chapter’s final page is about to be turned, I can’t help but look back on these
golden years, these halcyon days when I felt that indeed I am living for these moments. It’s just
amazing to see how these 5 long years could pass by so fast. But as fast as it all went by; I was
exactly sure I made the most of every single milli-second of it; that I was living in the moment.

If there is one thing, I am sure of after everything that happened during high school, it
was that it completely changed me as a person. Right now, I am sure that I am a lot smarter,
more mature, extensively holistic and most importantly, a better person.

Now, as we all move forward towards this new chapter called “College”, we are back at
square one asking these familiar questions yet once again: “What awaits me?”, “Who will I
meet?”, “How will I thrive?”, “When will it all sink in?” “Where will college take me?”.

But more importantly, perhaps now is the time to ask ourselves, with the same, or even
more excitement that we once had as we entered high school once, “What kind of person will I
become?”. Challenge, accepted.