June 9, 2021
By Imari Jazmine Tamayo
For so long, the face of Wisdom has always been clear.
Gray hair that shines white when hit by sunlight. Wrinkled skin and calloused hands worn but strengthened by years of hard work. Hooded eyes that have seen many faces, places, happiness, and tears. A raspy voice that shares the tales of experiences and lessons learned as the years went by.
Wisdom always comes with Age. That is until a 17-year-old proved otherwise.
Getsemane S. Silvestre, better known by her friends as "Get", is a recent senior high school graduate of Maliwalo National High School. She graduated under the Humanities and Social Sciences program and received the academic award "With Highest Honors."
As an incoming college freshman, Get shared her experience and worries about starting this new chapter of her life under the new normal. Her story gives us a glimpse of the hardships that every student goes through to pursue their education. Despite these difficulties, she also recalled the inspirations that keep her hopeful for the future.
A Shift in the Norms
Get's heart immediately sank with worry when she heard the news that the Philippines will adopt the remote learning set-up for the school year 2020-2021.
The new set-up confused her. Just like their unstable internet connection, Get became anxious about the uncertainty of their future. She started to wonder if she, and her two other siblings, would still get the quality education that they long for.
The difficulty of learning new materials also dawned on the teen. Get said, "Face to face class nga po medyo nahirapan pa sa lessons then paano po kung self-taught and through modules and online nalang po. Kaya pa po ba?"
(The lessons were already difficult during face-to-face classes, what more if they were self-taught and through modules and online. Is it still possible?)
Throughout her summer vacation, these thoughts occupied her mind. She did not even realize that October 5, the first day of their classes, was already fast approaching. "Tas kakaisip po nun. Start na po pala nung klase namin," She recalls.
(I kept on thinking about these things. Class has already started.)
Overcoming Changes
Changes brought challenges. This was true for Get when she needed to cope with her online classes. Aside from herself, she also had two brothers studying under the new normal. Her older brother is a third-year Financial Management student while her younger brother was in his sixth grade.
The mic of her phone was no longer functioning so she borrowed her sibling's phone to attend her classes. Luckily, Get's classes were in the afternoon and her brother had his in the morning. When their schedule would not line up, Get relies on recorded lectures if she missed some classes.
Following a strict schedule allowed Get and her siblings to survive a year in remote learning. Weekday mornings were always allotted for helping with household chores while afternoons were for studying. Weekends were dedicated to answering modules and catching up on lessons.
Despite having a set routine that helped in adapting to the new normal, Get admitted that she and her family still faced hardships on the way.
Financial difficulty was their main concern. She shared that she accepts commissions from her friends and she also tutors kids to help lighten the family's burden. Career pressure was also something that Get went through. The competitive environment at their school pushed her to improve her performance and excel better.
"Parang nakakapagod din po. Tas mapapatanong ka nalang sa sarili mo ‘ano nang ginagawa ko sa buhay ko?’"
(It’s somewhat tiring. You’re going to ask yourself ‘what am I doing with my life?’)
"Ang hirap pong magproceed minsan kapag yung goal mo po malabo na po. Di niyo na po gaano makita," Get shared.
(It’s difficult to proceed sometimes when your goal gets blurry. You can’t see it properly.)
What kind of Future?
Getsemane developed an interest in Psychology after her older sister introduced it to her. Before senior high school, Get planned to take up Accountancy and Business Management but her sister's influence inspired her to take up Humanities. She dreams of pursuing Psychology as her degree in college but the uncertainty of the future scares her.
"Natatakot po ako sa results tapos feeling ko po hindi po ako capable," were Get's honest feelings when she talked about her college application.
(I was scared of the results, I felt like I was not capable.)
An empty inbox after clicking the refresh button multiple times further increases the nervousness of waiting for a college acceptance letter. Knowing that your friends already received emails and yet you received none intensifies self-doubt. These are only some of the emotions that Get and other college applicants are currently feeling as they wait for the results.
She also shared that college entrance exams were also a missed opportunity for their batch because of the change in the system.
“Kasi po dati parang may examinations po diba? Tapos ngayon po nakabase nalang po kami sa grades po namin. Kasi dati po ‘pag may exam parang may panghahawakan ka pang results na hinihintay ka.”
(Because there were examinations [before], right? But now, it is all based on our grades. Before, the results of the exams give you something to hold onto.)
For Getsemane, the admission tests provided fairness among applicants. Before, these admission tests were used to give students another chance to get into their dream universities. Moreover, admission tests in state universities provide free education to those who could not afford to pay for tuition fees.
For students like Get, entering state universities might be their only way of pursuing a tertiary education but the unfair process dampens their hopes of obtaining a slot.
Getsemane also expressed the difficulty of finding scholarships that cater to degrees in Humanities. “Kasi po yung sa psychology po, wala po gaanong nag-ooffer ng scholarship. Parang yung scholarships po ngayon nakafocus sa strands ng ABM and STEM,” she said.
(Because with psychology, not a lot offers a scholarship. It is like scholarships are more focused on ABM and STEM.)
Despite having her own problems regarding her education, Get's concern for others showed the beauty of her heart.
"Hindi naman po pare-parehas yung opportunity nga po namin. Paano po yung mga IPs (indigenous people) po natin? Yung mga wala po talagang resources. Yung mga nakiki-online lang po. Paano po sila mag-aaply sa college?”
(We don’t have the same opportunities. What about the IPs? (indigenous people) Those without resources. Those who just ask to connect online. How will they apply for college?)
She also shared how the new system takes away an opportunity from those who are still discovering themselves.
“Ang unfair naman po porket may bagsak ka pero clear na po yung dream mo, yung passion mo po. Tapos hindi ka matatanggap sa university kasi po may bagsak ka.”
(It’s unfair that just because you failed, even if your dreams and passions are clear. You won’t be accepted into university because you have failing grades.)
She is only 17 years old and yet she recognizes these complex ideas and empathizes with people who she does not know.
Words of Wisdom
At such a young age, Get already experienced a lot of hardships in her life. Instead of being resentful because of the problems she faced, she used her experiences as a way to become a better person.
A warm and comforting feeling will envelope your heart when you hear Getsemane talk about her greatest achievement. She shared that her parents were not able to continue their education and it is Get’s pride and joy that, ”Yearly po, naaakyat ko po yung parents ko sa stage. Para po sa awarding.”
(Yearly, I can take my parents up the stage. For awardings.)
She shared that she always goes back to her family whenever she feels like the world is against her. They are her greatest motivation and the reason why she keeps on going.
Getsemane wanted to remind everyone that the people and the environment that we surround ourselves with affects us. She stressed that good company promotes collective growth and makes the hard days easier. Life will always be difficult but in spite of this, surrounding yourself with the right people and having a set goal will help you achieve your dreams.
Get also believes that financial difficulties should not stop us from pursuing our dreams. She wants people to focus on what they have instead of longing for what they lack. “Kailangan po yung mindset mo, fighter din po… dapat hanggat kaya mo, i-go mo,” She shared.
(Your mindset needs to be a fighter…As long as you can, go for it.)
She also said that we should also think about how our actions affect other people. Getsemane shared that thinking about her family and how her decision affects them helps her get through her bad days. “Para kahit mapagod ka man po, may babalikan ka po na ‘Ay kaya ko ito para sa kanila.’”
(So even if you get tired, you have something to look back to and say ‘I did it for them.)
At only 17 years old, Getsemane showed that age does not measure how wise a person is. Her experience and story shows that wisdom does not need to come with gray hair or wrinkled skin. SYNC IN
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