By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
One of our own has recently graduated with a Nursing degree . Four of us entered college in an almost successive order. Years have passed by, I was starting to be a bit skeptic if any of us will actually graduate. One of us will spend more than 4 years in college. I myself ended up transferring and causing more confusion to the timeline that I’m sure our family has set up. But now that one of us has actually made it, that just made the finish line a bit more realistic and attractive.
Throughout my life, I have learned about the impact a single person can make for the people close to him or her. In sports, so many people have been inspired by one of their own winning it all. That showed many young children it is not unrealistic at all to dream big. You may not know it, but your victory can be an inspiration to so much more people than you think.
An actor from a minority group, can singlehandedly break the notions before that only people from the major groups can make it to the big screen and achieve fame. Many people have paved the way for minority tribesmate to follow, though the price was often heavy.
Our own national hero, Jose Rizal, tried to carve a path to freedom and fight against a global empire with words, and that had cost his life. But no doubt many Filipinos across different sectors of society have him as one of their motivations. Progressive minded people, all the way here in the 21st century, take his teachings to heart and many more read his books with keen interest, dissecting all his letters and experiences.
One person can truly inspire entire groups of people. That is what I believe my cousin had become, not only to us who are still in school, but to many Igorots. Our destiny does not have to always lead towards gardening or staying in the countrysides. Or we don’t always have to choose the path of a warrior and be a cop or a soldier. One more Igorot has shown us. We are just as capable in other fields and a probinsyano accomplishing a bachelor’s degree is not a pipe dream, but a reality already done by so many before us.
Our goals aren’t always isolated from others. Once accomplished, they can shine brightly for others to see. For each member of society, we can all be a source of bright inspiration for others. Even if that person is a friend, family or a stranger, an impact on even a young child now can transform to a bigger miracle in the future. **
