Way back to 2018, when the time of moving-up was already near, I was so nervous and

sad to the point that I failed to enter or pass my dream school, which is the University of Santo
Tomas so that at first, I thought that I couldn’t make it here in De La Salle University -
Dasmariñas, that I was gonna be stuck at my old school where the students was so controlled,
inferior and overpowered to the point that we can’t move or do things on our own. Luckily, the
application for Senior High School in DLSU-D reopened so that I immediately applied for it was
my last hurrah, I took the entrance exam and hoped to pass, and guess what, I did! The
moment I knew I was qualified to enroll here, there’s the thought that I fear being left out
because I was from a different school (which is my first, and stayed there for 12 years), that I
will have to familiarise new faces, new environment, and we all know students from any La Salle
school were tagged as “mayabang, maarte, conyo, etc”. I finally met my new family, which is the
ABM16 before and ABM26 today, as a new student, I was so introvert, that I couldn’t even
speak or have conversation with my seat mates. My family told me that I should not be afraid,
and said “sa umpisa lang yan, masasanay ka rin” which became my motto during the first
semester of being a grade 11 student, and as the days go by, without noticing it, I became so
attached, comfortable, open to our section, that I can show who truly Jasmine is.
 Nurse! That was and will always be my dream job for I
really wanted to
help the sick
people in my own
little ways. But
due to the series
of pushing
through,
peer and family
pressure, I
am here and
dreaming
of another
job, which is to be a Marketing Manager. It was
hard to let go of my dream career since I was a child, but maybe God has better plans and that
dream wasn’t meant for me. As I slowly accepted the fact that not everything we want will be
ours so i moved on and I get further into the world of business. Entrepreneurship was the
beginning of everything. It was my first time to work on a business plan (I was so confused on
what should be placed in that plan, but thank God, I was grouped where one of my groupmates
already did one when she’s still in JHS!) my first time to cook for other people, my first time to
sell a product in a public place, my first time to go home late in the evening, my first time to go
grocery shopping with friends and especially my first time to earn money. These were some of
the firsts of my life that were so unforgettable because I feel like I’m a step closer to being an
adult, for I cdid those things without the guidance of my parents, or they’re not watching over
me. It was so fun to do that event but tiring. Fun because I am with people that I grew
comfortable with and soon became friends, tried to do the things that I didn’t imagine that I
would be doing, and also met new set of friends. Tiring because we have to be there for 6 days
in a week up to ten in the evening since we’re stationed at a mall.
 I prepared myself for the challenges, hardships, downfalls that I might encounter for the
two-year experience in being a senior high school student, but it really put me into a test. I
wasn’t expecting that this would be a big challenge for me, that the professors we had and up
until now, treats us like college students, for I was used to being spoon fed by my previous
teachers. Grade 11 became my adjustment period, to cope up with the mechanism of the
institution and even the professors, to make myself comfortable with the new settings, new rules
and regulations. It was tough, especially when it comes to new set of subjects that I personally
have no background about it. This really challenged me to give focus more to my academics,
and yes, I did survived the first year of being a senior high, I even got the chance to be one of
the “With Honors” and “Deportment Awardee” students. Despite of all the hardworks, studies,
we all deserve to have rest, time for ourselves, time to have fun without thinking of the
requirements needed to be accomplished and passed. Nearly two months left before vacation,
intramurals took place. It was the break, fun that we were all looking for in all of the studying
stuffs we did the past few months. It was really a happy, unforgettable experience because I
think I became an active person and a student. Back then, this event was not a highlight of my
junior high life because when it is Intramurals, we were all just watching movies in our
classroom, eating different food, playing cards, and enjoying the company of each other. Now, it
was an enjoyable tho tiring week whenever I think about it because I find myself having fun
watching different sports, competitions and cheering for our classmates and our team of course.
The highlights of this event were the friends that I met along the way, new experiences, and the
joy that it gave me. There were even concerts held and local bands were invited to play and
share their music to the Lasallian community. This was one of my favorite events that I have
experienced in my almost two years in La Salle and I will definitely never forget about it. Why?
Because this marks the beginning of going out of my comfort zone.
I experienced a lot of breakdowns especially in the first semester of Grade 12, up until today,
where were near to graduate and move on to college. I usually go to bed late at night because
of the schoolworks, but it got worse when the semester started, where there are times that I
went to school without having enough sleep and worse, no sleep at all, that makes me feel so
sleepy during class hours. There are times that I keep questioning myself if I am on the right
strand and if this is what I really like and If I should pursue a profession this track has and it
keeps on going that it comes to a point when it really bothers me. That one subject, which is
Finance and my laid back attitude was the reason behind the questioning thing and doubting my
capabilities as a student. We as a class, decided to talk to our professor, if we could do
something just to have additional grades just to pass that semester, and he gave us choices,
and we came up doing a song related to that subject. Though, we’re all sort of depressed about
our grades, we helped and worked as a team to compose a song, and have it recorded, we
even made a music video of it. It’s one of the unforgettable moments I will definitely have in my
mind for there, I really saw that ABM26 really love each and every one of us. On the other hand,
I really disappointed my parents and of course, myself. I also got into the point that I just want to
disappear for I don’t know how to face my parents and my siblings for I know they’re expecting
so much from me. At least that semester was done and to put an end the highlight of this
semester was the seminar conducted by Team Aguhon. When I knew that there would be a
seminar, I planned not to attend because I thought it will be the cliche seminar where it will be
boring and you will just sleep until the end. Team Aguhon is not like that because the mentors or
our “kuyas” were so friendly and knew how to interact with the students, there were games that
were interactive and will make you burst out laughing and there is a lesson that will leave a
mark in your mind. There’s another highlight of the semester, which is the Kundirana concert.
Kundirana is a boy band from La Salle Greenhills, they did that concert for a cause. They sang
some OPM and their original songs. And lastly, this is one of the happiest moments of my
Grade 12 life, the UPSCALE Program, which is part of one in our subjects today, the Capstone.
UPSCALE is a 3-day program where we had the opportunity to choose the course we wanted to
take for college and then, we were introduced to that course. I chose Marketing Management for
I really wanted to be a marketing manager someday. I did not regret in choosing that course for
this program, because throughout the 3 days period, I met new friends, had the knowledge
about marketing, and already practiced some important skills that a marketer should have.
LEARNINGS:

Hard work, long patience, determination, goal oriented and a clear mindset will get you through.
It wasn’t easy to study different subjects with a ton of lessons for a 60 items exam, 10-30 item
quizzes, recitations to fight your own battles and act like everything is fine, normal like there’s no
problems and to balance your time for your family and school. But life is like that and you’re off
to something better if you’re experiencing something difficult. You need to experience first the
downhills and having mistakes in life before achieving the best results. In order to achieve what
you dream for, you must work hard for it. There will never be a time where you just wake up and
magic, it’s here. Part of the process is hard work and no one’s an exception in doing so. Keep
on studying and trying, never think of giving up. Despite the complications and difficulties we
may face as a student, our priority should always be our education. Just like what our national
hero, Jose Rizal said, “tayong kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”. A series of continuous effort
and recalling to focus on your goal should be done. With a lot of distractions surrounding us, let
us not lead ourselves into temptation. As a student, we are here for a certain goal and focusing
on it will definitely make us successful in the future.

EXPECTATION:

I expected my senior high school life to be hard and challenging because it was a preparation
for college, however the reality was that you can find happiness in the midst of hardships; and
even when life lets you down, it teaches you something along the way.

REALITY:

Being a SHS made me realize that it was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, up until now! 2019
being a tough year for almost all of us, this is the first time where I broke down a lot because of
the pressure I got not only in terms of academics but also, to my personal life. All throughout
junior high school, I thought I have built a strong mental health because I don’t tend to cry over
small matters back then; but senior high school comes where I have been adjusting to a new
environment since day 1 and the fact that the subjects bring so much stress to me. After a
series of twists and turns, it is finally my last semester as a senior high school student before
entering the real battlefield, which is college. I couldn’t believe that I made it through those
hardships, obstacles and after a few months I’ll be graduating and will turn the page of my life.