Dear Kuya,

A week has already passed since I received my acceptance letter from my dream university, and I'm still literally on cloud nine. In my last progress report, I mentioned April as the start of my anxious season, but I think May has brought an end to that. It's been months of asking myself, 'Did I do enough?' 'Am I really going to pass with that performance?' 'What if I didn't get into my dream school/program?' Finally, it's over because I did it. I conquered the exam that's going to dictate the next four years of my life. I can't stop thinking every night about getting into a school with a 3% acceptance rate, known internationally for its excellent nursing education. I came to the realization that dreaming to become a nurse is a calling. God didn't plant this dream in my heart for nothing. I hope and pray that God continues to guide me as an 'iskonars ng bayan' and eventually leads me to achieve the life I've been fighting so hard to have.

My acceptance at PLM has made me realize that it's my family who have been the root of my successes in life. I couldn't help but be thankful to them for acknowledging my gifts, doing their best to hone them, and teaching me to spread my wings so I could conquer the skies. Consequently, this month may have tested our family, and we may have been pushed to our limits, but as they say, every storm passes. The sun will rise once again, and we will stand stronger than yesterday. These certain moments in life answer the question as to why we shouldn't surrender.

Graduation is fast approaching, and in the next few months, my friends and I are going to part ways to embark on our chosen endeavors. When I was in elementary school, I always looked forward to summer vacation because it meant no academic stress. But now that I'm only months away from college, I want time to slow down a bit so I can make the best out of my remaining high school months. My stay at UDM may not have been perfect, but because of my friends, it felt like home. I know that once we enter college, we might not have the same bond we had during SHS, but that's how life works. Life has to constantly change and progress because that's how we'll grow. I promise myself that no matter where the universe takes me, these are the people who've been rallying behind me, whom I will treasure and share my success with."

-Jeremiah