# data[].attributes.body
When I was in Grade 6, I was entered into a journalism competition where I had to compete in News Writing in English without any prior experience or training. Since I received less support from my school, I decided to learn about it on my own. I had the grit to achieve even when people did not believe in me. At the end of the competition, I became CHAMPION at 12 years old. It was a big feat for me considering that it was the first competition where I placed first at a city level. On the regional level, I received more training support from my school and several mentors. I continued what I was doing and placed 3rd, which was enough to bring me to the nationals. In preparation, I had to go to school even on weekends. I flew all the way from GenSan to Ormoc to compete. Even if I did not bag any awards, I still felt fulfilled as I knew that I can do a lot of fo things if I hold the same grit for anything I pursue.

# data[].attributes.body
I graduated as Valedictorian in grade school, and this gave me the courage to dream. I wanted to graduate as Valedictorian in high school as well, in the same institution. Beyond that, I wanted to take on a lot of extra-curricular opportunities as I was inspired to achieve in many aspects. I became a varsity player in table tennis, entered the theatre club and got a leading role, competed in numerous academic contests, joined the city's junior leadership program, and was elected as the school's student government president. However, when my high school was coming to an end, it was becoming clear that I could not achieve my initial goal of graduating as valedictorian. Even if I placed first in extra-curricular activities, I only placed second in academics. I graduated as a salutatorian. It was an unmet goal, but I was still happy and fulfilled. I learned that I could not have everything I want at once and that ranks do not matter. I realized later on that if the tradeoff for doing extra-curricular work is ranking 2nd, I would still take it as I learned a lot outside of school, expanded my friendships, and gained new experiences.

# data[].attributes.body
I knew that I needed to learn independence at some point in life, and I chose to do it when I left my hometown to pursue studies in a different city at 16 years old. My parents understood and were supportive of my aspirations. When I moved to Davao, I did not know where to start. I do not know how to budget my money, organize my day for school and home, and I did not know anyone. It was my first time entering a well-known university and I felt humbled. But I knew that I should be able to learn important life skills to be truly independent. I started budgeting my money by separating them according to my expenditure and savings. I learned how to be more thrifty by cooking my own food and walking to school. I organized my cleaning and laundry schedule. On top of that, I did well in my academics in my first term as I was awarded 2nd in the entire batch of 3,000+ students. Although it was difficult at first, I was able to find friends and build relationships. I graduated with high honors from the university, and I can say that I have developed a lot of the attributes I still have today from those 2 years of independence.

# data[].attributes.body
During my stay at Ateneo de Davao University, I was not satisfied with just doing well in academics. I wanted to learn something new, something that would also be important for me in the future. I always knew that I am a good communicator, but not good enough. I express my thoughts well but they're not organized, so I wanted something that can help me develop this skill. I entered a debate competition without any prior experience. I found teammates with the same interest, and we were so nervous to enter a university-wide tournament with top students coming from prestigious high schools in Mindanao. We had mentors to help us, but we only had 3 days to train and we did it every after class. During the competition, we had many wins and a few losses. Luckily, we broke through the semifinals and later on finals. To my surprise, our team placed as the 1st runner-up and I was hailed as the tournament's best speaker. It was a very surreal experience, and I learned that I can excel in the things I am interested in if I just put my heart and time into it.