I Graduated! Reflections from an Iskolar ng Bayan

When I was a kid, I asked my lolo a question that would end up shaping my entire life: "What is a scholar?"

He told me it was a student who excels and gets to study for free. And with all the confidence of a child who had no idea what he was getting into, I declared: "I want to be a scholar too, Lolo."

Well. That kid had no clue what he signed up for.

The UP Experience

Let me tell you, UP Computer Science is no joke. Learning to code was the smallest part of it. The real curriculum was solving problems that make your brain hurt, debugging at 3am when you have class at 7am, and somehow finding the will to keep going when everything feels impossible.

There were moments I wanted to quit: exams that crushed me, projects that seemed designed to break my spirit, deadlines that made me question every life choice I'd ever made.

But whenever I felt like giving up, I'd remember that conversation with my lolo. That kid who wanted to be a scholar. And somehow, that was enough to keep going.

July 21

On July 21, I walked across that stage. Computer Science degree in hand. An official graduate of the University of the Philippines.

I'm not going to pretend I didn't get emotional. That moment was years in the making. Every sleepless night, every failed test I bounced back from, every time I chose to keep going when I could have stopped. It all led to that one moment.

The kid who asked his lolo about scholars? He did it.

What Iskolar ng Bayan Actually Means

The free education is the part everyone knows about being an Iskolar ng Bayan (and that part is genuinely amazing, I'm forever grateful). But the title carries more weight than that.

The literal translation is "Scholar of the Nation." And that comes with a responsibility. The country invested in me. Now it's my turn to give back.

My CS degree is more than a ticket to a good job. It's a tool to build things that matter, to contribute something real to tech in the Philippines. To maybe, hopefully, make things a little bit better.

Thank You

To my lolo, who planted this dream in my head without even realizing it.

To UP, for pushing me harder than I thought possible and making me better for it.

To everyone who's still on their journey: it's going to be tough. Really tough. But if a kid who barely knew what "scholar" meant can make it, so can you.

Padayon, future Iskolars.