Abigail Mendros
Application Essay
At the tender age of 8, I made a decision that changed my life forever. In my grade 3 notebook lies a drawing of a girl wearing a lab coat, glasses, and a stethoscope. The day I drew that is the day I decided to become a doctor.
I’ve always been fascinated by doctors because how do they know everything? They put the stethoscope on your chest, then you’re already cured. They help people feel better. It’s perfect for the young, idealistic me who wants to solve people’s problems.
I come from a humble family, we didn’t have much, my father was a cook earning minimum wage while my mother tried to supplement that by opening a small stall that sold meals. From a young age, I’ve seen and learned the value of hard work from my parents, that I should work harder, if I wanted to have a better life.
One of my fondest memories came from my childhood, back when my mother used to teach my lessons from preschool. Now, most parents would go easy on a small child, but not her. She was strict. We’d go over tile same lesson over and over again, until I got the hang of it, or until I fell asleep on the mattress. It may seem brutal to you, but it taught me 2 things that eventually became some of the core principles of my life. First, it taught me discipline, how I should finish something that I have started, and how I shouldn’t leave someone or something hanging. Second, I must work hard to achieve something meaningful, to make something out of myself. So, I worked hard, I worked consistently to reach the top of the class, I loved joining competitions, so that my parents will see that their efforts are not all for nothing.
My sister was a blessing that came true after I’ve prayed for it for a long time. We were happy because we finally had a baby that we can share our love with, that I have a mini me that I can play with, that I can share my life with. But there came a challenge when my sister was diagnosed with autism. For someone who has never heard of the idea of autism, we didn’t have an idea how to navigate her condition. We were clueless. And times got hard because we needed a lot of money to continually support my sister’s therapy.
These hardships fuel me to even do better with my studies, so I can bring my family out of poverty. So I can fulfill my dream of being a doctor, so I can perform the same magic that doctors do, so that I can cure people and give them hope, the same hope that they give to my sister.
Exit Essay – Far, Far Away
Would you believe me if I said that I never wanted to go to Kisay? That was the case for the young Abigail who had to let go of her dreams of studying in one of the country’s most prestigious high schools, Pisay because it was too far from her home. Her parents didn’t want her to be separated from them so early, especially because Abi was a sickly little child back then. She contracted pneumonia in the summer of 2019 due to sheer exhaustion of spending her Saturdays waking up at 6 AM just so she could attend review classes to prepare for her entrance examinations.
She eventually qualified for Pisay Calabarzon campus, but due to the sheer distance, the family ultimately decided for Abi to attend Kisay. Kisay and I got on a relatively bad start. I kept thinking that had I just tried harder, maybe, just maybe, I’d be attending Pisay instead of Kisay.
Despite my initial resistance, Kisay graciously welcomed me with open arms.
Kisay shaped me into the person that I am today. It taught me to question the things happening around me. It opened my eyes to what is happening in our country. It challenged me to listen to other perspectives on my own. Kisay allowed me to grow by subjecting me to various situations that taught me numerous lessons.
I learned how to be comfortable with not being the best all the time. It taught me how to handle failing a quiz, and exam, a subject that almost cost me this very scholarship, and ultimately, it taught me how to bounce back from those failures.
Kisay taught me that ultimately, rejection is redirection. Had I not been in Kisay, I would have not met all the wonderful teachers and students of this institution. If not for Kisay, I would have never been part of this organization.
I express my deepest gratitude to the ANI Scholarship for helping me with my last 2 years here in Kisay. The support I have received from ANI had major contributions towards helping our research group push through our research project and graduate on time.
The CETs season came, and we were all preparing ourselves to give it our all in reviewing to get into our dream universities.
Through the support I have received from ANI, I was able to enroll in review centers that ultimately helped me get into my dream university, the University of the Philippines Manila.
To Tito Phil, Tito Arnaldo, Tita Tere, and to all our generous donors, thank you for believing in my capabilities, and thank you for bridging me towards my aspirations. Thank you for giving a dreamer like me a chance to turn those dreams into reality. Thank you for giving me a chance to get my family out of poverty.
I will make sure to pay the generosity you have given me forward, and to give back to our country.
May God’s hand bless all of you long, prosperous lives filled with joy.
Because finally, finally, my dream is now in sight.
