Steps and Voices: A Journey from Silence to Resonance

“I like art, but I also want art to be… concrete?”--was the voice in my head when I
finally decided what college course I was going to take. Accomplishing a Bachelor’s
Degree in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas is not merely a milestone in
my life but one of my greatest academic and personal achievements as well. At only ten
years old, I have already set my ambitious eyes on the course. From then on to the last
day of my degree, I resolutely stayed on this path–driven to succeed in the field no
matter the stressful and sleepless nights in architecture school. However, devotion and
resilience are not the only characteristics I possess that I am proud of. Being the Vice
President of the Creatives and Production team for my college organization,
Architecture Network, required the proper leadership skills to spearhead a group of
more than five people performing different tasks for different events.

After honing my skills in the academic environment, I was finally able to apply it
in a professional setting after graduation. I worked for three different architectural firms
within a year, each having different strengths that helped develop my leadership skills,
creativity, resilience–and even added new ones such as communicating professionally.
Of course, it did not come without hurdles; the first few steps tend to be the most
challenging, especially when one is treading on unfamiliar land. The workplace was a
new field for me to explore and along the way, I found that I somehow lost my voice and
began to feel the pressure of the real world.

There was an impostor in my mind who had the same voice as I did and while it
was speaking loud and clear, I was unable to. The voice was telling me that “maybe
what I learned wasn’t enough”, and “maybe I should just leave these to the ones with
more experience”. I was paralyzed in fear, confusion, and unworthiness–constantly
questioning myself if what I was doing would ever make an impact. But amid the crisis,
a revelation hit me. This was where I had always dreamed to be and to prove I
belonged there, I had to go through difficult and oftentimes unforgiving hurdles to gain
my rite of passage to reality.
 If I wanted to achieve my goals I had to face the challenges not only within the
workplace but also within myself. Slowly, I began to find my voice again. I realized that
this irrational fear of being insufficient was merely a self-imposed barricade, and its only
power was the power I granted it. I started speaking up at any given opportunity and
sometimes even making those opportunities, I shared my ideas and contributed to
discussions among coworkers and employers. With each small step, my confidence
grew.

With this newfound voice, I am confident enough to say that I am eager to take
another step further and begin a new journey at the University of Melbourne.