03/10/2026
Happy Teachers' Day, future teachers! π€
From our first year until now that we are already in our fourth year, ang dami na nating pinagdaanan at kung tutuusin, parang isang buong teleserye na rin ang college life natin. We entered college as strangers, each with our own dreams, expectations, and fears. We probably never imagined that along the way, we would become more than just classmates. We became friends, teammates, kakampi, karamay, at higit sa lahat, naging tahanan ng isaβt isa.
Naalala ko noong first year, nagsisimula pa lang tayong kilalanin ang isaβt isa. Medyo mahiyain pa, nangangapa pa, at hindi pa alam kung sino ang magiging kasama natin hanggang dulo. Pero habang lumilipas ang mga taon, unti-unti nating nakilala ang bawat isa, not just as classmates, but as people with different personalities, struggles, and stories.
And somehow, sa classroom natin, we became everything.
Naging abusive husband, mag-iinom, nagsusugal, dancer, singer, K-pop idol, ina, ama, anak, artista, comedian, at kung anu-ano pa. Minsan may roleplay na parang nasa teleserye, minsan parang nasa concert, minsan parang nasa church, at minsan hindi na natin alam kung nasa classroom pa ba talaga tayo. We laughed at each other, made fun of each other, supported each other, and created memories that I know we will carry long after college is over.
But behind all those jokes and laughter were moments that were not always easy.
There were days when we were burned out, exhausted, and completely drained. There were times when we felt like giving up because everything seemed too heavy. May mga exam na pinag-aralan natin nang mabuti pero bagsak pa rin. May mga pagkakataong lumabas tayo ng classroom na nagtatanong kung paano tayo nakakuha ng ganung score. May mga panahon na hindi natin alam kung paano sisimulan o tatapusin ang thesis. May mga teaching demonstration na pinag-isipan natin nang ilang araw pero sa huli, ang problema naman ay kung saan kukuha ng pera para sa materials. Minsan kulang sa tulog, kulang sa pera, kulang sa oras, kulang sa energy but somehow, hindi tayo naging kulang sa isaβt isa.
We saw each other at our best, but more importantly, we saw each other at our worst.
We witnessed the stress, the breakdowns, the frustration, the βayoko na,β the βpagod na ako,β the βpaano ba βto?β, and the moments when all we wanted was to rest and forget about school for a while. We saw each other struggle with requirements, deadlines, reports, exams, demonstrations, research, thesis, and all the responsibilities that came with being future educators.
And yet, we kept going.
Sometimes, we didn't even realize that simply having someone beside us was already enough to make the burden a little lighter. A simple βkaya mo βyan,β a shared laugh after a stressful day, a random joke during class, helping each other with an activity, sharing notes, lending materials, or simply sitting together when everything felt overwhelming, those little things became part of our journey.
At hindi natin maikakaila na sa ating college life, ang isaβt isa ay nagiging tahanan natin.
We became each otherβs safe place in a place that often made us feel lost. We became kasama sa lungkot at ligaya, sa tagumpay at pagkakamali, sa tawanan at iyakan, sa mga araw na sobrang saya at sa mga araw na gusto na lang nating umuwi at matulog.
9 months later, we are no longer the same people who first walked into college.
We have grown. We have learned. We have changed. We have become stronger not because college was easy, but because we survived the difficult parts together.
Soon, we will no longer just be classmates. We will be teachers. We will have our own classrooms, our own students, our own responsibilities, and our own stories to tell. The things we experienced hereβthe sleepless nights, failed exams, thesis struggles, teaching demonstrations, financial problems, laughter, arguments, celebrations, and countless memories will all become part of the people and teachers we are becoming.
Maybe someday, weβll look back at these years and laugh about how dramatic we were, how we survived on little sleep, how we somehow managed to finish requirements at the last minute, and how we became every possible character just to make each other laugh.
But I hope that when that day comes, we remember not only the grades, awards, achievements, or hardships.
I hope we remember each other.
The classmates who became friends.
The friends who became family.
The people who became our home during one of the most challenging chapters of our lives.
May we never forget why we started, especially on the days when teaching becomes difficult. May we carry with us the patience, kindness, understanding, and resilience that we learned not only from our professors and books, but also from one another.
We may not have everything figured out yet. We may still be scared about what comes next. We may still have doubts about whether we are truly ready to become teachers.
But look at us, we made it this far.
And perhaps one of the greatest gifts college gave us is each other.
We may have started as classmates, but we are leaving college with a family and memories that will always have a special place in our hearts.
We will survive this college together and we will continue being BIYAYA.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended the music used belong to the rightful owner.
