Inspirational Essay
Inspirational Essay
Inspirational Essay
the fabricated reality of each page, believing that maybe, just maybe, my affection for books can
reroute my life into something more inspiring. And just like how every book opens itself for everyone
to read, let me share mine for all of you to witness.
I am Femme Ivana Gica, one of the Outstanding Junior High School Students of Iloilo. An individual full
of scars yet seeks the beacon of hope in midst of despair.
It might be too unconvincing to fathom but as I reminisce my exact version of life, I grew up in the
most unsuitable environment for a child to suffer. During the first few years, I was only 6 when my
situation forced me to be more mature and realistic than my age, unable to spend my entire
childhood playing and enjoying the simplest things innocence can offer. We were at the bedrock of
poverty, having no choice to escape. Because of our lacking, my mother decided to work at a BPO
Company, worst, at night shift, leaving me as the mother figure of my two younger brothers, which
was 5 and 1.
You might be wondering why is my father absent in the scene, well, he was the kind of father that
most of who can read this will surely hate, fortunately, I don’t.
He was abusive and violent, lashing his anger and frustrations in life towards his children. I was only 6
when my body had first experienced the worst of bruises, wounds, and suffering. There was this time
when I had been bedridden for almost a week due to the incapability to stand on my own, weakened
by patches of dried blood and bruised skin over my whole body. Yet, it was not the blotches that have
sunk me down in the darkness but the fact that it was him, out of all the person in the world that
should be the first to protect me, was the one who had ironically destroyed my existence as an
innocent child.
It was always my passion to study and that time, going to school was my only escape from my father’s
violence but it was cut short when my mother started to work, leaving my siblings in my care. Due to
my mother’s absence and father’s irresponsibility, I stopped schooling. I had sacrificed my only outlet
in order to take care of my 1 year old brother and let my other one continue studying. Though being
naive, I was forced to adapt for a short period of time, attending the necessities of my baby brother. It
was that time when I had accepted my fate.
After 2 years, my mother decided to end the excruciating cycle of her life, I helped her escape from
my father’s watch. She went to her hometown back to her own mother, leaving us three with our
father. It was that moment when I had lost all my light. I lived to take care of my siblings, forgetting
how to wake up in order to live for myself. What I have not expected was my mother, coming back
after a few months to take us with her.
In her residence, I had been able to continue my schooling but I guess it wasn’t the same, or maybe it
was just me who had changed. The electrifying drive to excel in school had been gone, the urge to ace
in my field wasn’t just there anymore. I had lost my love for the only thing that had kept me truly
alive.
Luckily, in the course of my dull moments in life, an unexpected angel in my mother’s womb had been
the only one to revive my soul, and it was her that served as my newly found encouragement to
regain my love in everything.
She was able to rekindle my fiery drive in pursuing academics. I was given the break to start anew,
building a better version of myself as I find myself again striving. With much pining for excellence, I
indulged myself in different kinds of competitions. And again, I found myself enjoying in the middle of
midnight reviews, preparations, and pressure.
With the renewed enthusiasm, I challenged myself in competitions I have never yet participated in. It
was November 2019, months before the spike of CoVid-19 pandemic when I had joined in an “On The
Spot Research Science Competition” and unexpectedly championed throughout the city. Together
with my partner, we represented the region of Panay bringing the name of our school for the first
time in the regional level. Unluckily, we were unable to ace the said contest but being included in the
top 8 was one of the greatest achievement that I can be proud of. Also, it was February 27, 2020,
weeks away from the quarantine period when I was announced as one of the Outstanding Junior High
School Students of Iloilo. It was the first time of our school to be included in the list and such legacy of
mine, to raise the banner of my school in such event for the first time will be a lifetime honor.
Each single time I walk into the stage, on my shoulders are the suffering and struggles that I have
surpassed in life. A baggage that is no longer considered as a burden but an emblem of my courage
and sacrifices way back. Every trophy and certificate is an insignia of my tears that have been the
witness of my life from the scratch.
The sudden arrival of CoVid-19 had served as a hindrance to almost everything. Everyone have been
shackled within the boundaries of their homes. I thought that it was a blessing in disguise, a given
chance to reconcile with my family after finding myself again in the light but after weeks of
quarantine, I ought to be proven wrong.
After living an excruciating life, it was only this year that I had known my true identity. After 17 years
of living, believing in a lie, I have suffered not solely because of my father’s irresponsibility or absent
mother but due to the fact that I am an illegitimate child, born from aggressiveness and adultery. I
was raised in a family with a father, who is married to another woman.
I was expecting myself to be filled with anger and be more rebellious but contrast to my anticipation, I
was more driven to make an inspiration out of myself.
Suffering worst scenarios an academically driven student can ever endure, it had given me the urge to
make something out of my connections and capability to build something helpful to those who
struggle in their studies especially in our newly enforced education system which is the blended
learning.
It is an obvious fact that not all students are competent enough to handle independent learning, an
essential skill to survive this academic year. That is why in order to make something productive out of
this crisis, I have come up with an idea, to start an organization of students from different schools
across the Philippines that will aid their fellow students in their studies to surpass this year and lessen
their struggles in coping up in this new scheme.
In order to start my small initiative, I invited some of my excelling colleagues from past competitions
and organizations to join iLearn and tutor for free. It was a gamble for me to set up an organization in
such a young age but I swallowed my fear and doubts for the sake of helping my fellow students for I
know in myself that I had suffered enough, and I wont ever let the opportunity to change someone’s
life and be a part of their success pass.
At first, it was really a challenge for us, to attend all the inquiring students especially that we are
scattered through the nation. Most of the iLearn tutors are from Iloilo but there are some who are
from Zamboanga, Zambales, and Bicol. We have only known each other through Facebook but
because of our shared will to help, distance was never an excuse. Our organization is still on the
course of progress and I can say that it is a developing success. For a short period of time, we have
been able to help students of different grade levels from different parts of the country and believe it
or not, we were also able to help a student from Algeria.
This pandemic might have stolen a lot from us; enjoyment, freedom, and even the simplest things of
our everyday lives but if we come to think of it, it had also given us the chance to reflect. An
opportunity to seek the light out of this darkness we are all situated and cast a beam of inspiration for
those who are still unable to find their gleam.
Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.
Alternative Proxies: