STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST!
“Kulia Ika Nu’u,” which means STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST, is the motto of the late Hawaii Queen, Her Majesty, Esther Kapiolani (1834-1899). And it is the slogan of my school, of the University of Hawaii’s Kapiolani Community College.
The said proverb has huge influence on me, and I guess, to the rest of my fellow students too at KCC, as it motivates everyone (from students, faculty members, even non-teaching employees of KCC) of us to always aim and achieve for more (not just in school, but in all of our endeavors) in life.
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Honestly, I have been behind on my two required subjects, due to a highly dysfunctional system of one them (as I have 4 subjects all the time). But, as I often tell you, “if I have nothing better to say about a thing or a person, I would just opt not to elaborate it any further” (a wisdom that I learned from my mom).
But what makes me feel really sorry right now, is that I am behind to my two favorite subjects, namely ICS 101 (Informationmy computer class and my ACCOUNTING 202. What is worse, I am behind with those two subjects of the kindest professors I ever had in my whole life. And I truly feel sorry.
Thank goodness, both of them (my professors) listened to my explanations, and allowed me to catch up.
But, honestly, deep inside, I felt guilty for allowing someone or something to destruct me with my goal and fall short on my commitments.
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From the very beginning that I started working on my undergraduate study (currently for my associate degree), I have been telling all my professors that MY EDUCATION MEANS LIFE TO ME, as I lost my full time job during recession. And that caused my family to suffer terribly.
But I don’t have regrets, not even the slightest of it. For I know, God has better plans. And that unemployment situation led my feet to all the BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME: I got into volunteering, and I decided to go back to school and work for the degree(s) that I always wanted, accounting and law.
The said financial catastrophe has led me TO PERSEVERE MORE IN LIFE; TO LIVE UPRIGHT; and WORK FOR MY DREAMS; and BE A VIABLE MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY (by CREATING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE LESS PRIVILEGED, through volunteering for the 4 biggest non-profit legal associations in the State of Hawaii).
For 4 years, that I am doing Pro Bono, I found myself (for I was lost sometime, as I go through midlife crisis), and I found HAPPINESS (Oh yes, folks, I found the very elusive happiness!).
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So when things go wrong, I close my eyes, and pray to God, for HIM to recharge me with the strength I needed to do my role: as a mom, as a wife, a student, and a public servant. And HE never failed me, not once, or never.
God blessed me with the free highest quality education (As I am a grant and a scholarship recipient at the same time. And for 3 straight semesters, of one the best schools in the world.) But more than that, HE blessed me of meeting the finest people in the planet: All my instructors at UH’s Kapiolani Community College, for bringing out the best in me. And mind you, they are all warm and accommodating (so amazing really)! And, even if I encountered one who is different from all the rest, she didn’t change the high regards that I have for all the teachers in the world. And that until this very moment, for me, indeed, TEACHING IS THE NOBLEST PROFESSION.
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My teachers at KCC always encourage students to “AIM FOR MORE! GO GET THE 4.0 GPA! YOU CAN DO IT!”
Along with my amazing teachers, God blessed me of wonderful classmates too, as I made friends with a lot of them. And just like my instructors, my classmates are warm and friendly; they are all very supportive of me, I really can’t ask for more, as HE blessed me with so much “ALOHA!”
Nonetheless, from the very bottom of my heart, I thank GOD for my teachers and classmates at KCC for all their kindness. I truly feel so blessed!
I thank all my teachers at KCC for being the WIND BENEATH MY WINGS; for their unwavering support and encouragement, my dreams are now just within my reach. All I have to do, is to persevere more, and STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST! And I WILL!
TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!
