By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
The fight continues for a lot of students as enrollment has just ended and a new semester greets young hopefuls for another round. The calm before the storm will quickly run out when Monday rolls in, signaling the start of the race.
I and many others will have mixed feelings swirling inside as we all look to do better than last time and hopefully learn from our past mistakes. No one gets through a semester in perfect mental and physical condition. Everyone finishes battered and knackered, with a thirst for paradise that lasts for only a two week vacation.
A new opportunity, nevertheless, presents itself, a new opportunity to win and make considerable progress on the bigger dream. Young Filipinos in classrooms will dream of hopping on an airplane and continue their journeys in foreign lands. Some will look to make changes internally as they enter the local workforce and attempt to make their own visions a reality.
Employers will have an increased number of potential employees with graduation just around the corner for many students. We can only hope that they present a fair requirement for these youths and get off their high horse.
A batch of nurses will have already booked their tickets for their flights to the U.S. as they continue looking for a justified salary and provide for their own families.
Our youths will continue to be molded to be the actual representations of Rizal’s vision. As I continue to learn about other students’ nationalistic views, they have surely made our national heroes proud.
I was fortunate enough to learn about the views from students in public and private universities concerning the state of the nation, and the country is still with hope. I have optimism for what the future brings when these fellow students will be at the top, spearheading a revolution against archaic corruption that continues to live on as a plague to the people.
Our nation and many others need healing and reconciliation now more than ever. Everyone has a role to play, especially the youth, in order to bring changes to our country.
Investments for the youth should be a priority for any nation wanting to have a bright future. There are still too many youths that are out of reach of education’s arms.
Our values as Filipinos always made sure to include everyone, from the dinner table to our progress as a nation into the future, no one gets left behind.
The future is something to look forward to, so long as we include all youth in molding them to be future leaders, better and bolder than those before them. Always unafraid in challenging old institutions for the sake of a better world.
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