upon our pulses: We read fine things but never feel them to the full until we
have gone the same steps as the Author.
John Keatz
Experiences are mentors that make an individual better. They make life
memorable and worth living for. They teach every individual to stand right away
after every fall. Making them strong enough to face the incoming obstacles that once battle
their existence. They have been a moment worth treasured.
I was a simple elementary student of ABC Learning Center. What makes me different
besides having girl best friends and making most of my time with them, being
an honor student since Grade 1, and as a basketball player is that I have a special talent that not
a normal grader had – the skill in art.
ren on the work for another painting entry for handurawanThey said it was a talent. I told them it was a gift from God.
Dad already taught me how to draw when I was 3. At a very young age, I had drawn
almost anything on almost any place, from a piece of paper, white board to the walls at home and other establishments at the city. My dad was a graphic artist and a known painter in
Negros Oriental. An expected occurrence indeed. He had taught me almost every technique he uses.
In 2001,Dad included me to an on-the-spot poster making contest. What makes it nervous
to me is that it was my first time and knowing for a fact that it was facilitated by YMCA, a known
organization for youth with talents artists. With Dad’s training, I bagged the 1st place.
That was my 1st major award, a contest that is outside the school borders. After that I
was send to Cebu to represent YMCA Dumaguete for the Regional level. I returned
with the 1st place. From that time on, I was never absent to any art contest. For the 1st time in
YMCA Dumaguete, I won 3 consecutive Championship title in on-the-spot poster
making contest in Division and Regional level. YMCA awarded me as the Outstanding Student of the
Year in 2002, and sends my art piece to China and put it on billboards as a campaign poster for
the said theme facilitated by YMCA International.
I also participated on Press Conference. From Grade 5 (where I 1st started joining PressCon) to
4th year high school, I always took the 1st place in Editorial Cartooning English
Category, with my trainer’s assist of course, my dad, being Cebu Daily News’ editorial cartoonist. With
our joined skills, I always made it to the Regional Level and National Level. I won 10th place and 2nd place in National Press Conference, which made me as the second Negrensee to won such high award in
the field of journalism(my friend, Lou Joseph Mapue won the 1st place Editorial Writing English Category).
I also joined T-shirt Design Contest in Silliman University in my high school years. For
2 years, I am consistent in taking the 1st place. I was even told by the facilitators to not join the
contest anymore and prefer to have another contestant.
My face was never new to any art judges; I was also present in STEP or Student Technologist and
Entrepreneur of the Philippines contest. I lead my team in Mural Painting, we won
3 consecutive years in the Division and participated in Regional Level.
Being on contests, not just boost my confidence and enhances my art skills, it also let me gain
some new friends here in Dumagete and other participants from other schools/ regions, not just that,
I am also had the chance to be in other places. I’ve been in Lapu-Lapu City, Naga City, Mandaue City, Cebu City, Bohol, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Siquijor, General Santos, etc.
With God’s blessing, every art contest, I always brought home the gold medal. That made
my name known in high school and elementary.
I had my 1st to 3rd high school year in Dumaguete Science High School. I experienced
the cramming stages and 3 o’clock sleep due to extensive studies and reviews.
I fall in love and was blinded by it, because of the uncontrolled feeling, I lost my determination
and concentration and focus to study. I wasn’t able to cope up with the passing grade
and continue my high school years in St. Paul University.
In this moment, the most painful experience happened to me, my dad left us for another girl.
On that time on, he never contacted us till now. Even a centavo or a call was not
heard from him anymore. My life hastily changed it course. To the next-side of the coin, our fate seems
to be depressing. We have to work hard, not for ourselves but for our family. With sadness, pain, and depression, the most known boy was nothing but a merely
ordinary student, worse, from a broken family.
When I enter College, I wanted to start new. I ended up joining the student publication
here in NORSU in 2007. I wanted to continue my passion in drawing. I was
accepted, and being a member of The NORSUnian, I have found another family. In this institution,
I draw editorial cartoons, illustrates feature articles and University diaries. We also had
The NORSUnian magazine in which I contributed a 2-page comic strip.
my second family/barkada in The NORSUnian
Lakra Tinta background
On the spot
Assisting Peffy during the handurawan photo shoot
handurawan 2011 staffFrom my boring days in college, The NORSUnians had made it cheerful and exciting.
I exit in 2010 for some reason.
I was also an SK Chairman in our barangay from 2007-2010. With this I am exposed to youth
development and youth awareness seminars, Team building and self-awareness symposium. With this, my credibility and confidence boost up. I was able to become a official of the barangay and
was able to help big. We have our clean-up drive, symposium and health awareness. I am active in my
position and was voted by our Sangguniang Kabataan Federation as their
Engineering Intel Adviser. It was contractual, 3 years may be too diminutive but
the experience is worth it and was able to gain friends.
I also participated our Inter-Purok basketball tournament in our barangay. My team
won the said tournament. I was hailed as the Most Valuable Player. Basketball was my sport
since elementary. I am a player in court and also coaches elementary student.
Playing basketball is my answer to kill boredom
their goes the long three...
Awarded as the MVP during the basketball tournamentOn my 3rd year in college, we had our Field Trip in Cebu and was able to arrived on Big
Companies that someday be our nesting grounds as vocations. We have visited Big Foot, Dash Engineering, and some others that I tend to forgot. The trip was awesome and was amazed by how Information Technologists are highly wanted by the working industry.
Nutri-fit walk with IT Students
Nutri-fit walk with IT Students (2)
Field Trip in Cebu: Big Foot
Field Trip in Cebu: IP V6 seminar
Field Trip in Cebu: IT StudentsSummer for 4th year, we had our On-the-Job Training. And I landed on Asian Printers Dumaguete,
one of the top printing agencies in the municipality. I was a graphic artist. I designed
calling cards, invitation cards, edit posters, books, magazines, and etc. I was able to differentiate the
do’s and don’ts in printing. What would be printable images/designs or the not printable ones.
The settings of each printed file and others. With my good performance,
I was hired as a part-time employee.
I am also teaching Editorial Cartooning to elementary students in
ABC Learning Center Dumaguete and Tanjay and also to Don Bosco High School
and Holy Cross High School, as well as some other high school students in
the same schools and Science High School. I also teach Poster making contest and had summer class
I am grateful and so much blessed for what the Lord, our God had given to me as fraction
of my life. Every experience was worth the pain and laughter. Every moment was worth remembered.
It is not of pride that these were put into writing, but it’s how I was raised well with
my parents, on how I strongly faced the challenges in life, and how I stand firm after everything.
It’s not on the best and elegant places that make such experience great but
it’s the times of laughter and every tear with the person and
people that is close to you makes it special.
It is how these moments create the Ren I am now.
