Gateway to My Goals

“Hello PUP! Hello COC!” I remember myself saying when after the ever prestigious PUPCET and after the time-consuming enrolment, I was finally in front of College of Communication building.

It seemed like my hypothalamus and my senses have failed their functions that time. I did not know what to feel. After a while, I had my feelings back. The sense of pride and achievement that I felt on our graduation day came rushing through me again.  Being accepted in College of Communication, specifically Department of Journalism, was not easy anyway.

It was no easy convert for me. I have been in high school for the past four years of my life. And the fact that I am already a college gives me the creeps in such way that I do not know what college life will bring me.

I am surrounded with genius people -- faculty members, professors, instructors, co-students and block mates. If you are surrounded with geniuses, chances are you are also one of them. Yes, being with geniuses is such an honor but no matter how I tried to avoid it, it still brought me insecurity at the same time. The problem is how can I excel when there are equally or even more talented than I am.

But when you put pressure into clay, you can mold it into a beautiful pot. The pressure of insecurity has molded me into a person with confidence. The pressure has converted insecurity into a challenge.

Now, when someone asks me about my college life, with head held high, I am proudly saying that I am a Journalism student from PUP. A university wherein its students are epitome of delayed gratification. With due experiences, students therein are being taught the virtues of patience and perseverance.

And as I roam along the hallways of COC, I look around as I tell myself, the walls of this building will be the witnesses as I strive hard to reach the proximity of my goals.

Yet, I do not know what qualifies me to write this. Sure, I am still light years away from my dreams. But with PUP-COC on my side, I know there is bright future ahead of me.

-Precious Gunayon, Contributor 

Sheer Illusion

In the pale light of an early morning, while a flat, white moon awaited the dawn and wind-driven clouds flung faint scudding shadows across the roof, a girl walked through the corridors of a two-storey building with a knapsack on her back, and her envelope embraced by her.

A quiet and lonely place- this was the only thing that her mind screams as she walks through the dark and quiet corridors.

 “Isn’t it ironic that she thought of College of Communication a silent place? We all know that Communication is about speaking- but why is this place so still?” the girl wondered.

She felt crazy for talking to herself, good thing there’s no one around. With a neural feeling, she looked through the numbers printed above each door, citing its room number. Once she found her room, girls and boys the same as her age approached her cheerfully. The place is lonesome, but there was an atmosphere of excitement. She made friends with them, but still hesitating if she’ll enjoy this place.

At first she was on culture shock- from the grading system to the exam system. But she gave herself a shot to understand those things. Her second day is better than the day before, not only for the reason that she already knew people that can be her companion, but also for the reason that the idea of thinking of this place she first described as lonesome, starts to fade. You can see a group of people dancing at a corner, then another group singing and playing guitars on the other. Fascinating, she thought.

Then organizations started to introduce themselves- organizations that help the students to enhance their inner skills. There are academic and non-academic organizations around the college and each of them are indeed helpful in their own creative way. Her first impression for this college starts to go down from 100% down to 25%.

“excuse me, can I ask you where the library is?” she asked a guy, who is sitting at a bench and is deeply drowning into the book he is reading.

“ah, yes, second floor, first room at the right wing.” He answered.

She also noticed that the students are all approachable. She never expected that. Good thing about it, you can ask each and every student about stuffs without hesitations. The professors are also very good, you can rely on them- and that made her feel that this college can give her a family. Her impression completely faded, and good things come along her way.

“Even though I am just starting to create memories in this college, I am completely attached by this time.” She muttered to herself.

She is completely attached that she committed herself and became active to the particular field she engaged to. She knows that she has a lot learn, and she’s willing to learn more from the people she’ll meet. The quiet and lonely place she once knew became the most active and flabbergasting place she ever know, and the experiences she had , they are priceless.

- Karmina Allaine Arco Liquigan, Contributor