Success story na matatawag ang kuwento ni Niele Shem Geronimo Bañas, 23.
Siya ang Top 1 sa April 2024 Electronics Engineering Licensure Examinations (ECELE), kaya bibigyan siya ng PHP200,000 ng kanyang alma mater bilang incentive.
Nakakuha si Niele ng 91.80 percent passing rate sa licensure exam.
Nagtapos siya bilang magna cum laude sa Technological University of the Philippines – Visayas (TUP-V), Negros Occidental, noong 2023.
Ito ay kahit pa nahilig dati sa online gaming si Niele, na taga-La Carlota City.
BOARD TOPNOTCHER ONCE AN ONLINE GAMING ADDICT
Ibinahagi ni Niele sa PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) kung paano at kailan siya nahilig sa online gaming to the point na pinangarap niyang maging pinakamahusay na online gamer.
Sabi niya, “My addiction started during my junior high school years, and peaked during the pandemic, where I would play until sunrise.
“But this addiction is on and off. I was able to quit during the start of my senior high school years, but it came back during the end of my senior high school years.”
Nagdesisyon daw siyang itigil ito nang mapansin ang idinudulot nitong stress sa kanya.
“Luckily, at the end of the pandemic, I grew tired of the stress induced by constantly trying hard to rank up in online games, which led to me slowly quitting the game and only playing if I'm really bored or really stressed.”
Eventually ay natuto siya kung paano balansehin ang pag-aaral at ang online gaming.
“I can say that I learned to balance my time between playing games and studying.”
Niel Shem Bañas has always been an achiever
Read: Lance Nathan Lim, consistently a topnotcher; Top 1 at Top 2 sa board exams this 2022
NIELE'S ADVICE ON BOARD EXAM REVIEW
Naibahagi rin ni Niele sa PEP.ph kung ano ang kanyang effective routine sa halos isang taong board exam review.
Malaking bahagi nito ang pagkakaroon ng disiplina at proper scheduling. Pero tiniyak din hindi siya makakaranas ng burn out.
Paliwanag niya, “What worked for me is dividing my 11 months of review into 4 parts for the 4 board exam subjects.
“I focused on 1 specific subject for a couple of months and move on to the next, while also improving the other subjects during that period, but at a slower pace.
“Also, I made sure to have enough time for myself to prevent academic burnout, which would've been counterproductive to me.
“I also made a lot of handwritten notes of the lectures and digital flashcards for concepts I find difficult. This way I can easily recall those concepts.
“Lastly, my mindset during my undergraduate years is that when I study, I should study with the hope that I could use what I have learned in the future, not just in quizzes.”
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May maipapayo ba siya sa mga katulad niyang nagkaroon ng addiction sa online gaming?
Sabi ni Niele, “My advice is to find something else to be busy with, since there are so many things in this world more worthy of our time than the virtual world of gaming.
“However, it's not an easy task, they need to be determined enough to quit, but they don't need to quit altogether.
"They can use that addiction as a hobby instead to fall back into when things are rough.”
Ibinahagi rin ng binata ang plano niya sa nakuhang incentive at ang susunod niyang hakbang matapos ang pagiging Top 1 board-exam placer.
“I will give it to my parents who suffered just so I could graduate and review in Manila, it is through them that I was able to become a 1st placer.
“My plan is to enjoy myself for the next 2 months before applying for work in nearby cities.”