Nakamulatan ni Denver Pascua ng Caloocan City ang buhay-mahirap.
Pero nagbago ang takbo ng buhay niya nang magtrabaho sa abroad ang kanyang ama na isang electronics engineer.
Dahil sa kanyang ama at isang kamag-anak na chemical engineer din, na-inspire si Denver na pasukin ang mundo ng engineering.
Noong June 8, 2022, nagtapos siya ng Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering sa University of Santo Tomas (UST) bilang cum laude.
Top 7 naman siya sa October 2022 Chemical Engineer Licensure Examination, kung saan nakakuha siya ng rating na 84.50 percent.
Nakakuwentuhan ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Denver via Facebook Messenger noong October 22, 2022.
Biro ni Denver kung bakit chemical engineering ang napili niyang kurso, “Money. Just kidding!”
Ang totoo, sobrang na-amaze siya sa story ng kamag-anak niyang chemical engineer.
“There was a story about him making a formula of soap and obtaining a contract for its use in the beverage industry.
“As my father was also an engineer, I want to be part of engineering too.”
MAHUSAY SA SCIENCE
Panganay si Denver sa tatlong magkakapatid, at kumpara sa ibang bata na masyadong maraming interes, siya naman ay masipag mag-aral.
Pagbabahagi ni Denver, “I was fond of watching documentaries, especially of factories on YouTube.
“As we did not have cable TV when I was young, I remember that when we were staying in a hotel, the TV would always be tuned in to Discovery Channel and I would watch it for hours.
“I was also fond of watching local educational shows, like Sineskwela and Matanglawin.”
Consistent honor student din siya mula Grade III hanggang Junior High School.
“I have observed that I was really science-inclined, the stuff fascinated me, and I always do well in my mathematics and science subjects.
“I always competed in the quiz bees and mostly won, or at least placed well.”
Sa senior high school ay STEM ang kinuha niyang strand dahil ito ang maghahanda sa kanya para sa pagkuha ng chemical engineering course.
CHALLENGING COLLEGE LIFE
Aminado si Denver na nahirapang mag-adjust sa buhay-college.
“I remembered that we have a diagnostic test for freshmen ChEs [Chemical Engineering students], and boy did I flunk it!”
Nang pauwi na siya, inisip niya kung iyon ang tamang course at university para sa kanya.
“Since my tuition has already been paid, I have no choice but to carry on.”
Nakatulong naman sa kanya ang mga naging kaibigan sa college na matatalino rin.
“We tend to have study sessions in the library especially if there was an upcoming quiz.”
Unti-unti, naka-adjust siya sa college life.
“I also became a more active member of the study group, I answered questions and shared shortcuts that I have observed.”
Isa rin siya sa mga estudyanteng nahirapan nang pumutok ang pandemya at naging online ang mode of learning.
“It was quite hard as proctors tend to rely on PowerPoint presentations, which made it hard for me to understand and take notes.
“My grades suffered because of it and I felt that my performance is lower than it should have been.”
At para maka-cope sa epekto ng pandemya, “I have employed the use of the counseling services of my department to vent out my problems that I could not confide with my parents, and to also receive advice in dealing with my issues.”
MARAMING BACKLOGS SA REVIEW
Para naman paghandaan ang board exam, nag-enrol si Denver sa isang review center.
“What I liked about it is that their start date was quite early, even before we graduated.
“I wanted to start early as it will continue the momentum of finishing my studies and preparing for the board examination.”
Baka raw kasi tamarin siya kung may time gap.
Gayunpaman, marami siyang naging backlog sa assessments.
Napagod umano siya dahil nako-commute siya papunta sa review center, na inaabot ng dalawa hanggang tatlong oras.
“My saving grace, even if I did not take the assessments, is I was always present in the face-to-face sessions.
“Another thing was this habit of trying different solutions while listening to the lecture.
“If my method was easier, I will not copy the lecturer’s solutions. If I was wrong, then I will adapt their technique.”
EXPECTING LESS, ACHIEVING MORE
Mas mahirap ang anticipation sa pagdating ng araw ng exam kaysa mismong board exam.
Pero sa tatlong araw na schedule, nahirapan siya sa first two exams dahilan para siya ay ma-stress at magsuka.
“This was the same experience as my pre-boards, minus the puking.
“I must say that the third day was the easiest as it mostly required basic physics knowledge.”
Pagtatapat niya, hindi siya nangarap maging topnotcher.
“The same way that I did not imagine graduating with Latin honors.
“When I entered college, I always tapered my expectations so that if I achieved higher than barely passing, it would be nice.
“My parents’ requirement for me is to just pass and not be delayed. But, hey I managed to exceed my requirements, so that was nice.”
Gayunpaman, alam niyang may posibilidad siyang maging topnotcher.
Sabi umano ng isang mentor niya, “I have one of the highest scores for UST students that took the pre-board examination in our review center.
“He teased me that I could be a topnotcher. Of course, I shrugged it [off], as I would not have dreamed of it.”
ADVICE TO STUDENTS
Ani Denver, noong araw na lalabas na ang resulta, “I was tense.”
Sa isang kaibigan niya nalaman na nakapasa siya at nag-place pa na Top 7. Matapos niyang ma-verify na totoo nga, agad niyang sinabi sa kanyang ama ang good news.
“He immediately informed my mom, and there was a lot of screaming and celebrating.
“There were messages of congratulations in Facebook Messenger, and there were video calls from relatives, which I highly appreciate.”
Inihandog ni Denver ang tagumpay sa kanyang parents.
“They have sacrificed a lot for us. Also, I was very headstrong in what I wanted to do and often have disagreements and misunderstandings with them.
“Along with it was the pressure of college and preparing for the boards, which made me quite irritable, especially to noises and nagging.
“I thank them because, despite the hardships of raising me and my siblings, they continued to support me with all I need and want.”
Sa ngayon ay hinahanap pa ni Denver ang mga oportunidad para sa kanyang first job.
Ang payo niya sa kabataang nais maging matagumpay, “If you suffered setbacks, dwell on it for a little bit, examine yourself, and move on better and wiser.
“It is okay not to be okay. The most important thing is when you have a problem, seek help.”