20/09/2026
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ππππππ | Cess-ing the Doubt
There was a time when Mrs. Frances Joy Razo-Labao sat beneath the crushing weight of endless lesson plans and deadlines, staring at a crossroads she never expected to face. Burned out by the relentless demands of the Basic Education Department (BED) at Maryhill College, she began to dream of an escape route.
Her mind drifted far away from the chalkboards, settling instead on the simplicity of a supermarket checkout line. She genuinely imagined a life as a cashierβa job where she could scan items and leave the responsibilities behind the moment she punched out for the day.
Ready to walk away from her calling, she made a quiet pact with God, asking for a clear sign to determine her next move. She resolved to try online teaching, viewing it as a temporary detour before leaving the school system entirely.
Needing a laptop to start, she reached out to a close friend to borrow the necessary funds. However, the plan hit a sudden wall when a major problem hit her friend's bank account.
Out of nowhere, someone had suddenly withdrawn money from the account, leaving the funds completely trapped. For Ms. Frances, the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.
βSabi ko kay Lord kung ano ang ibigay niya sa akin na sign, iyon ang tatanggapin ko,β she recalls.
The answer arrived almost immediately. Just as her plans to teach online fell through, an unexpected door swung open within the very walls she wanted to leave.
She was offered a chance to transfer to the Higher Education Department (HED) of Maryhill College. What seemed like a frustrating financial problem was actually the sign pulling her back to her true purpose.
This leap into the college department started a long journey that turned her into a cherished mother figure and one of the most loved faces in the Marian community. Her doors became a safe space where students could always walk in for a simple chat, a good cry, or supportive guidance from a mentor who serves with open arms.
As she found her footing in HED, she also stepped into the role of the publication adviser for The Collis, the official student publication of Maryhill College HED. Balancing the department's heavy expectations with the fast-paced pressures of journalism could easily have brought back her burnout.
Yet, Ms. Frances found strength in the student editorial board that stood by her. Because her teaching workload was fair and her student editors were deeply supportive, she didn't just survive the dual rolesβshe truly thrived.
She transformed from a teacher seeking an exit into a dedicated leader, eventually rising to become the Assistant Dean of the College of Teacher Education and HED Faculty President. Now, she uses the lessons from her past burnout to fiercely protect the mental well-being and work-life balance of her students.
βAng deadlines, due dates, natatapos βyan. Pero pag may biglang dumating na tao na nag-ask sa iyo ng 'tara, punta tayo sa ganito, sa ganiyan,' dapat sumama sila kasi iyon yung life; iyon yung way ng life na sabihin sa kanila na magpahinga ka muna dahil matatapos naman lahat ng gawain,β she said.
Her time at The Collis and in the college classrooms allowed her to shape future leaders through genuine human connection. She noticed that many student writers and young leaders were their own harshest critics, stopping their own growth before even trying.
βYung gusto kong i-impart sa kanila ay yung maniwala sila sa kakayahan nila. Magtiwala muna sila sa sarili nila, at huwag sila yung unang nagsasabi na hindi sila magaling o hindi nila kaya. I-try muna nila ang mga bagay kasi doon nila makikita kung ano yung mga potential na nakatago lang kasi hindi nila tina-try," she shared.
Yet, she constantly balanced this push for excellence with a strong reminder about character, teaching her students that raw talent means nothing without human decency. βAng values na gusto kong matutunan nila ay the value of respect," she explains. "Kasi kahit gaano kagaling ang isang tao, kung wala siyang respeto, nagmumukha siyang hindi magaling.β
Looking back at the path that led her to the Assistant Dean's office, Ms. Frances wants to be remembered as someone who is always ready to understand and genuinely cares. She chooses to value how other people feel over what is simply standard or technically correct.
Years ago, Ms. Frances Joy Razo-Labao searched for an escape route from the classroom, ready to leave her calling behind. But by trusting a broken bank transaction and an unexpected sign, she found a higher purpose right where she belongedβand Maryhill College is infinitely better because she never ran away.
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βοΈ | Augustine Dacanay
πΌοΈ | Allia May Idea
