Milo, A Young Person with A Surfeit of Motivation and a Guiding Vision

Our eldest son Milo is currently working hard to enter the best school for his tertiary studies – and our whole family is fully supportive of his steadfast efforts to achieve his goal. Aside from earning high grades in his grade 11 high school subjects, our child is also taking review classes for his forthcoming university examinations. 

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As with his classes in school, Milo takes his review classes seriously. He never misses a session, whether those that are held online twice a week or the weekly face-to-face ones, even if he has to travel all the way to Makati from Quezon City and back every Sunday for the latter. Even during the Holy Week break which our family spent in Albay, Milo brought his two-inch thick reviewer with him. He managed to squeeze in study time in between what he calls his Bicol adventures including riding a banana boat, getting stranded in a boat for hours in the middle of the ocean, driving an all-terrain vehicle in the foothills of Mayon volcano, going around the Tabaco Plaza, and just generally having fun with his cousins. Even during an overnight stay at an island resort, Milo brought his reviewer with him. 

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Milo’s top priority is the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus – for the best reasons. First, UP is recognized locally and internationally as the premier university in the country. Second, as a State-run academic institution, its tuition fee is significantly more affordable than in private schools. Third is proximity, as we live quite near the Diliman campus; we are only 15 minutes away by public transportation. The convenience in going to and from a nearby school and the lower cost that goes along with it cannot be overstated. Last but not the least is familiarity: both of my parents, my siblings, and I all studied at UP.

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Be that as it may, we hope that though Milo is preparing hard and will try his darn best to pass the UP College Admissions Test, he won’t be too disappointed in case he falls short. There are many ways to skin a cat: he can take the entrance exam or talent determination test of any associate course at UP, or even join a varsity team! And most importantly, without being specific, there are many other good schools out there. (He can even try to transfer to UP eventually from any school where he’ll spend his initial years in college.)

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Ultimately, the most important thing for our family is for Milo to become a kind and responsible adult (he’ll turn 18 next year), and he is already that kind of person now in his late teens. May he always be kind and continue to value and respect human life and human rights -- his and others’. And if he remains the responsible individual that he is, he’ll be able to take diligent care of, and succeed with, his studies and other endeavors and duties in life. We are proud that recently, APEC honored him with two awards: one as Artist of the Year of the Amplify Club and another as Peer Facilitator for a collaborative project on mental health. We are confident that he’ll enter a prestigious school in college and proudly graduate with a bachelor’s degree. And our family will still love and care for him no matter what. We are equally confident that regardless of which school he eventually gets his degree/s from, Milo has the kind of grit it takes to succeed (and studies show that the single most important factor in being successful is exactly that – grit). Case in point: at a mere seven years of age, Milo had an art project for homework. He had a long day from summer art school and was already very tired. Yet, he persevered and didn’t stop until he was satisfied with his artwork. He actually collapsed almost immediately afterwards from fatigue and sleepiness.

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My dear Milo, the UPCAT, and any other college entrance exam for that matter, is a test that you’ll take only once in your life. Therefore, it is without a doubt very important. But in the same vein that you’ll only take it once, don’t ever think that it is the definite measure of your intelligence, much less your worth as a human being. It is what you do for the rest of your life, regardless of any examination result, that truly matters. Just keep learning and loving your fellow people. As for your dream of becoming a lawyer, well, that will come much later. But know that we are all here to support you. We are quite sure that with your values, Atty. Milo Ezekiel Jimena Sevilla will be a lawyer who will fight for the marginalized and uphold the rule of law.