Jade Wanderer | All About Life

My sister, Aida, the eldest and only rose among six siblings has always been recognized by our family as the achiever. Though I oftentimes thought that she was more like the overachiever to me considering my accomplishments or lack of it when I was following her footsteps then. She was pretty well-known in both grade and high school not only for her academic accomplishments but also for being active and excelling in extra-curricular activities.

As her younger brother, I couldn’t help but be proud of having such a popular sister. I still vividly remember looking in awe at the sheer number of medals she racked up and kept crammed in her aluminum box. But while I did some wishful thinking about how I was going to get myself some of those medals, I wasn’t driven enough to really make a serious effort to make that a reality. Probably because I was in a state of contentment then.

Anyway, my sister studied under a college scholarship program at the University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu and graduated with flying colors. My aunt, Rosemarie, also sponsored her studies at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) where she made Dean’s List during the 2003 spring Semester. Unfortunately, following that shining example and qualifying for a scholarship was a feat that the succeeding male siblings including myself were not able to duplicate until our youngest, Manman’s turn came.

Manman got an impressive 96 Percentile Rank in the National Career Assessment Exam, proceeded to get 95% for General Scholastic Aptitude in the Ateneo de Cagayan-Xavier University Entrance exam, and promptly qualified for a full academic scholarship program. As thanksgiving, we went to church and lit a red candle to thank the Almighty. Afterwards, we took my brother to Candy’s, a nice posh restaurant at Limketkai Center, and treated him to dinner along with my mom and Riza, my wife.

Way to go kiddo! Looking forward to seeing you maintain that scholarship and finish college with honors like Achie did.