Oyen’s Silver Medal

Edmund is relieved that Oyen has finally graduated from Ateneo. He is funny, it’s as if he’s the one studying. He just didn’t want Oyen to get tired. She’s extremely busy kasi kaya this is one less obligation.

We are proud of her accomplishment. Not because of the additional degree under her belt but her ability to handle many things and come out a winner.

She had a tough time adjusting to Manila’s life after staying in NY for 5 years.
She was depressed and at a loss. She didn’t know whether to stay or leave home and make NY her base. It was a tough decision and we felt her agony. There was a time when we wanted her to go back na lang rather than seeing her unhappy.

I wanted her to go back to the US and study again but just like what I have mentioned before, she defied my wishes and instead, she enrolled in Ateneo. Not to get an MBA degree but to meet new friends who were her age, hopefully. Being away for 5 years kasi kind of removed her from her circle of friends. The few ones she kept also moved out of the country.

After just a few weeks in Ateneo. she disliked it a lot and found many things backward. She thought of dropping out, but decided against it because she would be away from her classmates, some of them have become her friends.

With some disappointments with how things were at her new school, she persevered and continued going to Ateneo even on a part time basis. She has the most stressful work and she had difficulty attending to her school work at the same time keeping a job that required full attention and beyond an 8 hour a day work.

She was always late in class because she couldn’t leave the office early enough. While her professor was conducting class, she would still be at her desk signing documents and talking to her staff.

It helped a lot that her professors immediately saw how bright she was. She easily gained their trust and respect without even trying. In fact, in many instances, her professors asked her to lecture in class and to check her classmates’ test papers. Her good undergraduate background pivoted her role as an ordinary MBA student to that of someone respected by her professors and peers. Some of the stuff she studied in her MBA, she already took up in college at Fordham.

During final exams, she hardly had time to study. She was worried she would fail because she didn’t have the time and energy to look at her books and notes. She was mentally, psychologically, emotionally and physically exhausted at work. It surprised her when she found out she was in the running for a gold medal. One night, she came home and entered our room. She was so excited and proud to tell me that she has honors pala. She’s assured of a silver medal and may even get a gold if she did well in her thesis. She was like a little girl, excitedly telling me about her honors. “Mom, I didn’t even know!”

The thesis preparation should have been a breeze. She knew her topic and didn’t need anyone to help her. The problem was she didn’t have the time and energy to prepare it. It came at a time when we were dealing with some big challenges in our business. She was churning 10 hours a day work. And it’s emotionally taxing. Super stressful.

I was there when she defended her thesis. She didn’t prepare well for lack of time and energy. She relied on her stored knowledge. The defense panel were not convinced to give her a perfect score of 4. There was some minor things they looked for but wala na tapos na. She only merited point zero three short of a 4. Sana they rounded it off na lang.

She cried after the defense. Feelings of exhaustion, nervousness, and disappointment for not getting the gold all rolled into one.

Well, with God’s grace, here is my daughter, One Silver Medalist that Ateneo can truly be proud of.

I give her gold for determination. One girl who despite the many challenges, still managed to win.

Congratulations anak