Ipinagmamalaki ni Claire Ann Lou Lumbes, 23, mas kilala bilang Claire, ang kanyang katangian na pagiging “bold.”
Sa kanyang pinned Facebook post dated December 1, 2022, sinabi ni Claire na dahil sa kanyang boldness, naniwala siyang kaya niyang maging board topnotcher.
Nagtapos siya ng Bachelor of Science in Nursing sa Bicol University noong July 2022.
Bukod sa pagiging cum laude, isa rin siyang Order of the Blue Feather Society Royal Blue Degree Awardee.
Top 9 naman siya sa November 2022 Nursing Licensure Examination, at may rating na 88.40 percent.
Aniya sa kanyang post, “Even though it was far-fetched, I actually prayed to be a topnotcher.”
Gayunpaman, ani Claire ay hindi niya nakuha nang overnight ang tagumpay.
Marami siyang pinagdaanan, lalo na nang sumalang siya sa intensive review season.
NANGHINGI NG “SIGN” NA KAYA NIYANG MAGING TOPNOTCHER
Malinaw para sa kanya na dahil produkto siya ng isang eskuwelahan sa probinsiya ay baka hindi siya makasabay sa mga nagtapos mula sa malalaking unibersidad sa Maynila.
“Surprisingly, during post-tests and recall exams, I was slowly able to.”
Aniya, bagaman at mabagal ang kanyang nagiging progress kumpara sa mga kaklase niya sa review center, naisip niyang, “Maybe I can too?”
Nilagyan umano niya ng question mark ang statement dahil kahit noon, “I really can’t fully commit to the idea.”
Ang ginawa, naghanap siya ng “sign.”
“If I placed Top 10 in our first preboards, which was infamous in Toprank for being the most difficult preboards they offer, then I’ll really believe I have high stakes of being a topnotcher.
“I knew right there and then there was no way I’d place Top 10 out of the 200 students in our section.
“It also didn’t help that the lecturers pointed out during classes after that no one [in the thousands of reviewees in Toprank] passed.”
Nakalimutan na umano niya kung anong specific sign ang hiningi niya.
Nang i-post na ang result ng kanilang preboard, nahirapan siyang hanapin sa lists kung pasado siya dahil nakalimutan niya ang kanyang number.
Nagulat siya nang malaman na ang number niya ang pangwalo sa kanilang klase.
“I was kind of ambivalent because, ‘Wow, the sign I actually prayed for was given to me.’”
Gayunpaman, alam niyang preboard pa lang iyon, at kailangan pa niyang sumalang sa totoong board exam.
PARA SA KANYANG PARENTS
Pagbabahagi ni Claire, “Review season was tough, more so that I was independent all throughout.”
Pero gaano man kahirap, hindi niya ito inaamin sa kanyang parents na nahihirapan siya.
“I would often just joke about my struggles. I rarely cry too.”
Minsan lang siyang umiyak sa buong review season dahil natakot siyang bumagsak.
“I just can’t afford not to pass because a lot has been sacrificed for this entire review: time, money, energy, a whole lot.”
Higit sa lahat, gusto na niyang masuklian ang mga sakripisyo ng kanyang parents.
“For my mom who have undergone her heart surgery when I was six years old because she still wanted to see me become successful.
“And for my father who I never once heard of saying he’s tired of being the lone breadwinner for us.”
Sa kanilang ikatlo at huling preboards, pangwalo uli siya sa kanilang klase.
“Only in our class. I never made it to the overall.
“And when I finally took the board exams, I felt at peace—not because I was confident in my answers but because I knew that the Lord was with me.”
NAGKAMALI NG TININGNANG RESULTA
Madrama ang naging eksena ni Claire nang lumabas na ang resulta ng board exam.
Aniya sa isang panayam, inakala niyang hindi siya pasado dahil maling link umano ng result ang una niyang nabuksan.
Nalaman lang niyang Top 9 siya nang ang kanyang ama mismo ang nagbalita sa kanya.
"Mali pa po yung link na na-open ko, May 2022 [result] po, kaya akala ko po di ako pasado.
“Then I checked po my phone and read a text po from my Papa saying na I was rank 9.
“Sobrang saya ko po that I can’t put it into words.
“I prayed for it. I was hopeful but I’m not expectant.
“But I can’t possibly put into words what it felt like when I actually saw my name in the roster of topnotchers.
“Dun ko po na-realize na totoo po pala iyon—na mapapaluhod ka na lang sa saya.”
LAHAT NG IMPOSIBLE PWEDENG MAGING POSIBLE
Kung mahirap ang exam, ayon kay Claire ay mas mahirap ang maghintay ng resulta.
“It was a tough battle between my intrusive thoughts to keep on the faith that I can be a topnotcher. Most of the time, the latter overpowers.
“No matter how hard I want to trust the idea, self-preservation wins over in the fear that not seeing my name in the roster of topnotchers would hurt in such a way that I would not be able to recuperate.”
November 28, 2022, dalawang araw bago lumabas ang resulta ay nagsimba siya.
“Because I know that only Him can give me the peace I needed and inside the church is my safe haven. I talked to Him.”
Ayon kay Claire, hanggang ngayon ay nakakaramdam pa rin siya ng goosebumps kung paano sinagot ng Diyos ang kanyang boldness.
Natatandaan pa rin niya ang Gospel noong araw na iyon mula sa Mathew 8:8. “Within the Homily were the words: ‘Lahat ng imposible puwedeng maging posible. Ask and you will receive.’”
Pagtatapat pa niya, ang kanyang pinned post ay sinulat niya umaga ng November 29, 2022.
Aniya, “If I’m not a topnotcher, then this note will never see the light of day, hahaha!
“But if you see this, wow, I really did it!”