Junzi is usually perceived to be a gentleman who observes a respectable way of living, but I

will be using a woman to describe what the concept really means to me.
The woman in the picture is Sabrina Ongkiko, whom I have discovered during my simple free
time scrolling through the recommended section on my YouTube feed, trying to find out the
different career backgrounds of any content creator I would find in hopes of deciding what my
own career would be. I am a Grade 12 student already, yet I was still very much undecided
(for I actually had dreams of pursuing a career in Obstetrics and Gynecologic Medicine, but
was beginning to rethink my decisions during this quarantine).
I had gone through different “vlogs” about doctors, lawyers, nurses, pharmacists, and any
other possible “practical” career that I could think of other than the education field, but I had
no significant success in deciding a career for myself; until I jokingly thought, “What if I
ended up teaching in the next 5 years?”
I saw that video of Sabrina Ongkiko giving a motivational talk to students at a Tedx Conference, where different
professionals share their experiences on what it feels like making a difference in the community from their point of
view. She was giving a talk about what ambitions should mean for people in this day and age, and for finding one’s
purpose so they can be able to be on their way to progress, no matter how small they may make.
In that talk she had shared how she had been a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, finishing a degree in
Biology in hopes of becoming a doctor, just like me, but eventually realizing that it was through education that
people could find their own voices and successes in life, how putting effort into shaping young minds before you
would even think of yourself, was the best form of love that she had discovered, and still continues to practice in her
everyday way of living as a full-time public school teacher in Culiat Elementary School, Quezon City.
Then, I started to look back on the events of my childhood.
Sure, 4-year-old me wanted to become a doctor, but there had been so many instances where younger family
members or friends would constantly ask me for help on their homework, their projects, or, much to my surprise,
would just simply make me their role model when it comes to their study habits and work ethic, as they would
frequently tell me, after they thank me for all the help that I had done for them. Looking back on those moments, I
would feel happy and a sense of fulfillment would fill my chest as I bear in mind the little things that I could do that
they would be truly grateful for at the end of the day.
Not only that, but as I grew older, I would read articles or watch news reports about some parts of our country that
still have inadequate instructional materials and low reading comprehension rates among the Filipino youth in the
past few years. Those things truly made me show my utmost concern, frequently wondering how I could possibly
change that in my community.
That was also when a clearer vision struck my mind.
Come to think of it, becoming a teacher was similar to my original dreams in the performing arts in more ways than
one: standing in front of my own “audience” of about 12 to possibly more than 50 students every day, lending them
my own voice so that they may discover theirs. The immense feeling of connectedness between the teacher and the
student is something that psyches me up every time. Like anyone else with a relative that thinks of becoming a
teacher, I have heard so many times that teaching is such an underappreciated career with little pay that cannot
guarantee you such a comfortable life, but now, I wouldn’t care about that at all.
The story of Sabrina was more than enough of a sign from God to stop denying and finally go for this career; not
only because I’m currently a Humanities and Social Sciences student (with Education as an aligned career path), but
because it was also what I realized I was good at: communication (more particularly in English skills), interaction
with the youth, and the idealism of improving the system when it comes to what a person has to know to succeed in
this world. Sabrina Ongkiko truly served as an inspiration to me in helping me to finally realize the true purpose of
my talents and how I can uphold my potential in the best possible way, and so I know that through the words of a
teacher, a great power is realized within oneself; an ability to make a difference one student at a time.