The Path to Finding “Me”

Words by Ma. Yzobel Jamaze A. Soniso

When I was a child, my late mother would always remind me to always stay true to where I came from and to have faith in the principles that I believe in. When I first came to JBLFMUMolo, I didn’t consider myself a loyal person, in the sense that I was always uncertain of the path that I was going to take. Truth be told, I never imagined myself as a student in this institution. Perhaps I just did not see myself in the line of profession that I currently enrolled in, and I had other aspirations that I dreamt of that I thought were meant for me. My mother wanted the best for me, and to enroll in this institution is the great option. Loyalty, in my viewpoint, is such an impactful value because not everyone bears that principle. I believe that it comes in all aspects, not just in familial relationships or friendships. I never imagined that in my three years of being a student of John B. Lacson, I could be a loyal Lacsonian to the community. I have achieved so much and have heard praises from others for what I have accomplished, and that was all thanks to this institution. My first achievement was when I won the search for Model Student 2020 during my first year, and that was the moment where I started my active involvement in the school. In my second year of college, I was at the peak of my role as an active student leader; I joined the Peer Facilitating Program, and that will always be my favorite moment as a student because I joined an organization that develops students to become holistic individuals who can help others. Then, I was accepted and was one of the delegates from the Philippines in the UNESCO-APCEIU 8th Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED, which certified me as a GCED Youth Leader and Advocate. At the beginning of my third year, I was lucky enough to be one of the pioneering members of the United States Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights—Philippines, and I am now the current Peer Facilitating Program President for this academic year. As much as I am appreciative and grateful for all the achievements that I have earned and gained over the years, I always stay true to being a Lacsonian. I instill the core values that we have in every organization that I am in, local or international. I’ve dedicated myself to and persevered in balancing all of these responsibilities at once as much as I could, especially when it comes to my academic, social, and community lives. I believe that in addition to loyalty, you should also have perseverance and discipline with yourself as an individual because, over time, you’ll find yourself in situations that are going to test your limits on how loyal, consistent, and mature you are in life. In terms of loyalty, it is great to have a good set of people you can rely on when you feel down. It is also good to be truthful to yourself about how you feel rather than shutting yourself off from other people. The sense of loyalty that everyone has is different, but it is up to us how we manifest that and turn it into something meaningful.