I have spent most of my quarter life understanding myself, how people think and how the world works. I immersed myself in different activities, different groups of people & different subjects to learn about. My openness to different things at some point became a worry too because a lot of people would tell me that my choices lack direction. Soon enough though, everything became much clearer for me and fell into place as I have discovered and understood myself better through these things, most especially my strengths and how I am able to use them to affect the people around me positively. As a woman in my early 30s, I understood better the quote, “change starts in you”. One has the influence to impact the people around them positively through one’s actions and these people whom you inspired can impact the world through their actions. My quarter life has made me realize how I am carrying a responsibility to the people around me, who can impact the world together.
Finding Balance: Teaching Online, Starting a Business, & Serving the Community by Assistant Governor Cheska Acuin Rotary Club of Manila Magic
I am Cheska Acuin. I am the Founder & the Clean Beauty Boss of Messfree Co. --a company that manufactures vegan-friendly, palm-free, cruelty-free, organic & earth-friendly bath & body products. I am also a full-time IB (International Baccalaureate) Educator, currently holding virtual classes with my Grade 4 kids and at the same time a Rotarian--currently an Assistant Governor of District 3810 and the IPP of the Rotary Club of Manila Magic. Yes, I wear all of these hats but more than these, I wear the principle that as an individual, we have a responsibility to ourselves, our community and our planet.
I would label myself more as a woman who loves to grow, rather than embrace what most people would define me as someone who wants variety. I have proven myself countless times but being just human, I was also emotionally challenged the most by the pandemic, just like everyone else. Despite my positive mindset and my indestructible self-esteem, I still found myself struggling with anxiety at the start of quarantine. For those who don’t know how anxiety feels like, it is a combination of fear, feeling of abandonment and bursts of internal conflicts all happening at the same time, not to mention not being able to pinpoint exactly where they are coming from. Knowing myself, I would often succumb to self-help books and motivational videos to make myself feel better and deal with it on my own. Fast forward, it had been the greatest battle for me since this was where I figured that not all problems could be solved by books and videos. I found more strength by being vulnerable to people close to me whom I shared my struggle with. Being vulnerable is something I learned over the pandemic that has allowed me to grow better, stronger and more meaningful than allthe accomplishments I garnered my whole life. Contrary to the lockdown situation, vulnerability has set me free! Vulnerability has allowed me to look internally and recognize that all of us need help and to be able to be truly of service beyond oneself, one has to overcome and be of service to oneself, first. My call for responsibility towards my community breaks down to my full-time job as a teacher and my job as a rotarian. I’ve always believed that being a teacher is the most influential job there is. Imagine, in my 10 years of teaching, I have in some way, become a part of more or less, a thousand of my students’ life journey & discovery. I have also believed that Einsteins are present in different communities, given the right educational opportunities. My
