29/04/2026
I did not get the course I wanted. I did not get the campus I dreamed of. But I got the path I needed.
With the recent release of the UPCAT results, I can imagine the mixed emotions in many homes.
Some are celebrating. Some are quietly disappointed. Some are wondering why the course or campus they prayed for did not happen.
I understand that feeling.
When I took the UPCAT, I chose Geology. I imagined myself in Diliman, maybe even following a path closer to my brother, who was then taking Engineering.
But life had other plans.
I did not get Geology. I did not land in Diliman. I was assigned to Zoology in UPLB.
At that time, it felt like a lesser outcome. Maybe I simply did not score high enough. Maybe the door I wanted was not meant to open.
After one year, I had to be honest with myself. Zoology was too much for me. So I shifted to Agriculture.
What felt like a detour eventually became a blessing. In Agriculture, I found my footing. I studied harder. I tried to learn poultry production as deeply as I could.
Slowly, the course I did not originally choose became the field where I would grow, serve, and eventually build a life.
It reminds me of a simple story.
A man once boarded what he thought was the wrong train.
At first, he panicked. He thought the mistake had ruined his trip. But along the way, he met people he never expected, saw places he would never have chosen, and eventually found himself exactly where he needed to be.
Sometimes, what feels like the wrong train is really life quietly taking us to the right destination. Maybe that is how life works.
It will not always give us the course we choose, the school we dream of, or the road we carefully planned.
But with humility, patience, and faith, we may later discover that the detour was not a punishment. It was preparation.
So to the young students who did not get the result they hoped for, do not lose heart.
And to the parents quietly worried for them, be patient.
A โnoโ today may still become Godโs redirection tomorrow.
I did not get the path I wanted. But God gave me the path where I could grow. And looking back now, I am grateful He did.