My College Story

Ahh... sweet, sweet college days.

Those all-nighters get to you pretty fast, you can't even remember the last time you slept.

I'm currently in my third year of college and, if God permits, I'll be done in a year and a half. Yeah, I have to spend an extra semester for the required coursework. I'm planning to be a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). All that extra work will hopefully pay off.

I realize, every semester just gets tougher and tougher. This semester has actually been my worst so far. I could not believe how much pressure I'm in right now. I've broken my all-nighter records this semester (finished at 7 AM, woke up at 7:20 AM for class). Yet somehow, I always feel disappointed about myself. I'm a failure when it comes to time management.

How do you survive college?

I always end up wrecking my schedule. I'm afraid of taking too much commitments and ending up not being able to fulfill them. Sometimes, I look at my high school friends studying in the Philippines and I feel bad that I can't expand my horizons as easily as they can. Somehow, for me, things are just a tad harder here than they are back home.

Studying college in a town of 20,000 or so people does not help either. Hays is a microcity: you know, a city that's not exactly a city. To put it bluntly, my university is majorly white. There are occurrences where I'm the only 'colored' student. Does that bother me? Not at all. Sometimes, I put that to my advantage by doing my best to stand out. Actually, it does not take much to stand out in a university of roughly 3 Filipino students. You're one who easily sticks out of your professor's head with a first name.

I can easily decide to move to other universities if I wish. In fact, I can move back to Texas with my parents, not have to live in an apartment, not have to think about what I'd eat for the day, or what bills to pay; but I choose not to. Somehow, my school has left an indelible mark in my heart. It taught me how to stand on my own two feet.

However, it's not all that easy. In fact, to be honest, I feel very 'underaccomplished'. After what I've gone through back in my high school heydays, I couldn't seem to duplicate my accomplishments. I'm not necessarily a failure, but I feel like there's so much more I am capable of doing, but I choose not to extend my reach.

It could be due to the fact that fitting in becomes such an arduous task in itself. I'm an individual who relies on companionship--I succeed better when I am with friends. I don't like doing things by myself. My courage comes from the people I spend time with. They push me to succeed. In fact, my friends--and everyone else I personally know--are my mentors.

Unfortunately, I am left with no choice. I have to do it by myself. I may not be able to exceed expectations (even my own), but I will definitely not be a let down, especially to my parents--who I offer all my success to. They are the reason I'm doing this, because I don't want to let them down. I want to be a son they can truly be proud of.

When I think into the future, I always wonder if I will ever get the chance to walk up on stage again and do a speech like I did in high school. Perhaps not. I may end up just like most everybody--walking up the stage, getting my diploma, taking a picture with my folks, and heading back down. But it's all good. My success is not measured by the opportunity to address hundreds of graduates; it is measured by the hard work and prayers I put in to achieve it.

No matter what I accomplish, and no matter what success or failure I go through in college, I will always bring everything back to God. He's the reason I'm still alive after all the sleepless nights of studying. He's the reason why my work has always paid off. Last but not least, He's the reason why I will be stepping out of college a successful person.