“Mami, number 1 po ako,” her tears came rushing down as we hugged each other tightly. At that moment, nothing else mattered as we sat there and I listened to her cry so much.

Lorenz Barro’s achievement in the recent Medical Technology Licensure Examinations surprised the whole University, after he led the roster with a 92.10 mark; making him this year’s topnotcher. While his triumph was widely celebrated by the whole Thomasian community, Lorenz sat down with TomasinoWeb to share the moments leading up to his victory.

“Even after days since the results, it still feels very unreal. As a very shy person, the sudden surge of attention is really shocking for me. It created this mixture of emotions: happiness, excitement, fear, etc. The fear mostly stems from the uncertainty of how much this major accomplishment will impact my life and what paths will open up,” shared Barro days after the results of the board exams were released.

The days of pacing back and forth in his room in anticipation and constantly being reminded by the motivational quote that says, ’Aim for Number One’, were over for Barro; after all, he is now the number one. But beneath this achievement, he shared that it was never an easy journey to get to where he is now.

“I had no intention of going to Med school and that gave me almost four months of study time. The first month went so well.  I made sure to dedicate myself to one subject each week. I listed and bought a lot of books and taped notes of lessons I kept forgetting on my wall. I had a plan that I followed diligently. I felt unstoppable, being able to finish whole subjects and even thick books in a short amount of time, including the reviewers given to us. However, burnout happened.”

Barro mentioned that he was enrolled in two review centers and finished neither of it. The pressure and the thought of not being able to live up to the expectations that were set for him started to get in his brain. Constant over-thinking that resulted to sleepless nights and this not only affected him intrapersonally, but interpersonally as well.

“That was the turning point where I went home to Batangas and started reflecting on what truly mattered most. I decided on self-review. I dedicated a long time finding myself again, taking it easy with walks to the park, video games, and deep conversations with various people. I felt so fortunate having supportive family and friends. We were able to find another psychiatrist nearby. All of these people saved me from self-destruction.”

This life-changing decision rebooted the preparation of Barro for the better and come September. He was regenerated and ready to face his greatest challenge yet. Weeks before the board exams, he had his game face on and a planner to help him keep track of his accomplishments.

“I made sure to also put time for rest. I felt unstoppable again, but this time not because of the pressure, but because I was surrounded by love and the constant reassurance that no matter what happens, I was loved.”

Leading the board exam was a passing thought for Barro. At times when he would dream that perhaps he can be the topnotcher, something inside him would tell him that there might be other people who really worked hard for the test. Despite of this thought, the perseverance that Barro exhibited is commendable— and that is the reason why Barro is truly the crème de la crème of the board.

“During that evening waiting for the results, I kept walking back and forth in anticipation. The days prior to the expected release of results I was actually very calm. I wasn’t fearful because I was confident that I did well enough to pass. However, as soon as the big day came and I saw someone post the link of the PRC website, my anxiety levels went straight up,” said Barro.

This anxiety almost made him not see the results of the board but the messages of salutations made him curious; lifting the serotonin out of his system, “I was alone in my room when I immediately opened the PRC website. At that moment I saw my name on the list of passers. However, my body was still shaking because I then saw that there was a separate link for the list of topnotchers. I was still hoping that MAYBE I could at least barely make it to the list. As soon as I clicked it and saw my name on the top of the list, I was hit by this wave of pure shock as I stared at my laptop screen,” he said.

But unlike other heart-melting triumph story, Barro gave TomasinoWeb the privilege to relive the exact moment when his mother found out the results.

“I quickly went outside to my mom. She hasn’t refreshed the PRC site on her own laptop yet. When I came up to her and she excitedly asked if I passed, I just nodded and silently gestured her to come to my room. I was too stunned to speak. I could see it in her eyes that she knew something was up.”

“It was the first time she saw me so speechless. As soon as I showed my laptop screen and said, “Mami, number 1 po ako,” her tears came rushing down as we hugged each other tightly. At that moment nothing else mattered as we sat there and I listened to her cry so much. I saw that more and more people started to congratulate me on FB. My mom started making calls: waking up my sister, calling my dad, my grandparents, close friends, etc. It was such a bizarre experience.”

Looking back, Barro has exemplified his belief that any task, no matter how miniscule, should be done well and passionately, “I am usually a lazy, laid-back person (my family can confirm this), but the moment something sparks my interest, I become this different person who goes all out to achieve something,” he said.

Barro’s story is a proof that achievements are made slowly; they don’t happen in a blink of an eye nor in a day’s work. Yes, there would be ups and downs along the way and yes, life may get us down, but as long as we persevere towards it we gradually make the impossible, its antipode.

“Love yourself and have confidence in your abilities. We tend to become our own worst enemy and this self-doubt hinders us from becoming the best version of ourselves. Never compare yourself with the achievements of others. You are you and you create your own story,” says Barro to his fellow thomasians.

“Pursue your passions. Always remind yourself why you do what you are doing each day. Examine what drives you, what keeps that flame inside you burning despite the challenges that try to blow it away,” he further added, “Don’t just merely illuminate, but rather, ignite.”

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Even by doing the smallest of things, one step at a time, could give way to the greatest of changes if we firmly believe in it. Although environmental problems have been plaguing the earth since time immemorial, a new surge of interest to the environment’s cause was brought upon by the popularization of metal straws. Advocates have been promoting for a strawless UST since 2016 and more students are heeding the call to cut some carbon footprint one Thomasian after another.

To further these advances, the UST Central Student Council is leading the Thomasian community in spreading the call against climate change. Last September 17, Thomasians took part on an active collaborative effort to advocate for a greener and a more environmental-friendly University during Greener UST Phase One: Environmental Assessment Resolving Threats to our Home (E.A.R.T.H)

By inviting speakers who are passionate in championing for environmental rights, Thomasians are given a wide range of topics that served as eye-openers to the crux of the earth’s plight for sustainability in the first phase of this event. Among them are Rodne Galicha, Country Manager for The Climate Reality Project, Paul Soriano, Communication Specialist for DENR’s Climate Change Service, Lia Alonzo, Program Coordinator for the Center for Environmental Concerns – PH and Engr. Ludwig Federigan, Executive Director for the Young Environmental Forum.

In an exclusive interview with TomasinoWeb, CSC Auditor and Project Head, Adrian Fernando, shared the rationale behind this project who not only sees it as his brainchild, but a personal advocacy as well.

“The problem is happening right now […] it’s not too late sana to fix it,” according to Fernando on the reason why he conceptualized such event.

As shown by the catastrophic effects of the recent typhoon Ompong, the populace is urged to act now to prevent and lessen the aftermaths of future disasters. For us Thomasians, we are fortunate to have Greener UST as a wakeup call, to stop living like climate change is not affecting our daily lives and it urges us to act on the immediate concern about the environment that could help in alleviating the effects that global warming seeks to enhance.

Promises of doing the 3Rs, not littering, lessening the use of plastic and styrofoam are some examples of the pledge by Thomasians in response to the question, ‘What could you do for me?’ written in a makeshift tree that symbolizes the Mother Earth. These may not guarantee an immediate effect on the state of the environment, but at least it is a good start.

The fight to sustain the environment remains a daunting task. The minutiae of recycling and cutting plastic might seem futile, but having the will and initiative to conserve the only home we know is a stepping stone towards more permanent and progressive means of preservation such as living waste free and lobbying for nature’s protection.

“Yung tinatarget namin [ay] maging parang bridge kami [para] makahelp sila sa environment”, Fernando said.

Practice leads to permanence—-a little alteration to the age old saying that acts as the backbone of this project should be remembered by all Thomasians. If it only takes 5 weeks to develop a habit, we can practice extreme diligence especially for a cause that will not only achieve a greater and a collective good but also a future for the generations to come.

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Filipinos are always featured as being resilient. Amidst life challenges, we always find a way to cope. When facing a big storm, we always find the strength to look at a brighter side even when things are being torn asunder.

But resilience is not just a matter of adjusting to problems that we know are systemic; it is being able to be united against one common enemy in times of great crises, holding hand-in-hand to achieve great changes.

Photo by Jude Angelo Camot

Last September 17, the Lumad people visited the University to establish bakwit schools. The Lumads went all the way to Manila to assert their right to self-determination, to their ancestral lands, and to an education that is national, scientific, and mass-oriented.

Their ‘Lakbayan’ is a form of protest, a quest of finding solace, a preparation for posterity, and an echo of their cries as a people who were forced to leave their ancestral lands and peaceful lives in the countryside because of intimidation, human rights violations, seizure and encroachment of their lands, and militarization due to Martial Law in Mindanao.

Photo by Jude Angelo Camot

They were greeted on a Monday, with the resentful afternoon sky, and in turn, the Lumads and the Thomasians’ thunderous chants rumbled the whole University as they enter the centuries-old Arch of the Centuries. Despite the heavy downpour that covered the supposedly orange skies, their banners waved their calls for justice and their placards shouted for the upholding of rights.

“Libro, hindi bala! Edukasyon, hindi giyera!”
Thomasians and the Lumads shouted in unison as they enter the Arch. The sky soon gave off its tearful confirmation making everyone shout, “Umulan man ay tuloy pa rin ang laban!”

Throughout the program, it rained–of messages of solidarity, of hidden cries behind strong facial expressions, of grudges far beneath.

Photo by Rohm Rizzel Bautista

It was still raining when Lumad students stood up to perform a cultural presentation reliving their grim experiences in the grassroots and depicting the death of Obello Bay-ao, a bakwit student, a friend, who one year ago was killed while harvesting his cornfield, who until now hasn’t yet got the taste of justice, along with hundreds more victims of arbitrary killings.

Photo by Rohm Rizzel Bautista

Their faces wore fear, lingering pain, and sorrow–fresh from the memories that continues to wound them as people.

“Umulan man ay tuloy pa rin ang laban!”

It rained throughout the Lumad integration when students visited the Central Seminary Gym to hear their stories and experiences. Meanwhile, Ompong unleashed its wrath. Crops were put to waste; the blood and sweat of the farmers were left in vain. Classes were suspended.

“Umulan man ay tuloy pa rin ang laban!”

When another victim of Oplan Tokhang was left in the streets with blood gushing through his temples, it rained. Another arbitrary arrest of an innocent child due to Oplan Tambay happened while raining. It rained when a teacher who volunteered to extend the reaches of education to the grassroots was red-tagged and received various trumped-up charges for simply trying to help. It rained as the workers of NutriAsia were violently dispersed for standing up for their rights.

“Umulan man ay tuloy pa rin ang laban!”

Photo by Jude Angelo Camot

It was on a Monday afternoon when they had to go. Throughout the week, they taught the Thomasians to manifest their Thomasian value of Compassion through showing the value of integration with the basic masses. It rained when Thomasians joined the Lumads as they rallied around the campus back to the Arch and called for an end to Martial Law and militarization in Mindanao, and a respect for their culture, rights, and ancestral lands.

“Umulan man ay tuloy pa rin ang laban!”

Despite all the mishaps that their people had experienced, their unity as a tribe and our support continued to solidify their hope for a much brighter future ahead.

“Ang Martial Law sa Mindanao ay parang bagyo na hindi matigilan, at gaya natin [sa harap ng malakas na pag-ulan] nagkakaisa tayo,” said Manilyn Gantangan, Grade 10 student from CTCSM Lumad school. She told Thomasians to open their eyes and hearts to what’s really happening in our society and encouraged the students to join their fight as the key to success is holding hand-in-hand amidst the ongoing storm.

There really is a great significance in the phrase, “Umulan man ay tuloy pa rin ang laban!” and if there is one thing to learn about the plight of the Lumads, it is this: Whenever misfortune comes and however big it seemed for us to handle, it is nothing in the face of a thousand arms stretched, holding one another–united against one storm.

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