WHO AM I?

By Jesson M. Villa

I am Jesson Villa,
Born without lot of wealth
But blessed with love and care
To people who raised me and my brother.

I am nineteen years of age

Born on April 18, 2002;
On the corn capital of South Cotabato
Banga, I’m proud of you!

I am the eldest among the four

Children of Marilyn and Joery;
With same sex but differ in gender identity
Believed to be the hope of our family.

I am smart and kind

As what people say
But little they don’t know
I am being who I am.

I am confident as they tell

Never afraid to fail
Instead working hard to kill
All expectations they let me feel.
 Back when I was a child, I don’t have any dream. I just
want to have fun, enjoy life. When I was in kindergarten here
in the Day Care Center of our Barangay, I distance myself to
them, prefer to be alone; afraid to talk and never socialize.
I’m questioning myself, why do they have a dream while I
don’t have? But soon as I seen the sacrifices of my parents, I
started to realize that I have a dreams not just a dream to
fulfilled.
When I studied my elementary at El Nonok Integrated
School, I go out of my shell, I socialize, have fun with my
friends and classmates and live with so many dreams. Until I
enter my high school in the same school, I’ve been the same
as I am. Always having fun while learning. But all of this
changed when we transfer in Davao del Norte.
The dreams I’ve been holding on started to fade as
many obstacles happened. The me who always have fun
became more studious. Pressure eats my mind; by the
expectations of those people surrounds me and by the words
thrown at me. The me that time wants to prove to his father
that despite of having different gender identity, I deserve fair
treatment. But when pandemic arises and I am entering
college school, I realized I was lost.
Today, as I enter the field of Accountancy, I am
building the new me. I am now the person who will focus on
myself rather than thinking others. I am now back to the
person I was before. More fun while learning. And that’s who
I am.