Allan Jurelle R. Saldua
Application Essay – Crescendoing Potential
“Every song, just like every person, has a story.” This quote by Chris Fabry resonates deeply with me. The fact that every person’s story is sort of like a musical composition is wonderful to me because it means that one person may have a pop song as their song, while another may have jazz. Mine, however, is a symphony, specifically, Guillermo Tell. This piece represents my fast, but careful approach to anything I do–and in my symphony, it’s about to reach its crescendo.
I’m Allan Jurelle R. Saldua, but everyone calls me ‘Arelle’. I am an avid music lover with the confidence to host even school-wide events, while remaining kind, gentle, and lively to everyone who crosses my path. I am like an unfinished composition, waiting for my potential to be fully realized, and I believe my potential lies in becoming a pediatrician, my dream. Why a pediatrician? I aspire to pursue a profession that can provide me with the knowledge and experience because I plan on becoming a loving father for my future children. With such, I’ll be able to help parents address their children’s medical needs while also helping them understand and manage their behavior. To achieve this dream, however, my goal is to either get into a pre-med course (preferably nursing), or ideally, get into any accelerated program, either UP’s Intarmed, PLM’s EMed, or UST’s LeapMed.
However, becoming a pediatrician isn’t easy, especially financially. My family will need to spend a lot of money to afford the materials and equipment, while being frugal with daily necessities. It’s the harsh reality of not having the resources to achieve a dream. This situation reminds me of the dissonances in music that keep me on the edge of my seat. With that said, this is where ANI comes in.
If I were to receive this scholarship, not only would it help us financially, but it would also help us mentally. We worry about finances, and although our parents always tell us not to worry about those sorts of things, I still do, because we’re all in it together. Just as instruments crescendo into forte, ANI will let my symphony reach its climax, transforming my passion for caring into a purpose that resounds in the lives of the children and families I hope to serve.
Exit Essay – The Mind, a Fire to be Kindled
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled,” and our education is our journey to hone that flame and pass it on to others. For some, they aspire to be public figures that can change the world—for others, they guide the next generation, lighting a fire in their hearts. As for me, I am striving to become a doctor—a doctor that relights people’s flames when even they think theirs will fizzle out. One step that I have to take to achieve my goal is to study well. As luck may have it, I got the chance to study in one of the most prestigious science high schools in the Philippines–Quezon City Science High School.
From the 7th to 8th grades, every person in the world had to stay home due to a worldwide pandemic named COVID-19–a deadly virus that took the lives of millions of people–including my grandparents. I still remember suddenly waking up to my father–who was taking care of my quarantined grandfather–wailing next to his father’s lifeless body still infected with the virus, my mother crying her heart out due to not being able to talk to her father–in-law for the last time, my sister cooped up in another room mourning the death of her grandfather, and there was me, distracting my little brother from the chaos, while trying to calm myself down.
From there, things calmed down from the 9th grade onwards since the pandemic finally ended and we could be free from our homes and socialize with others and pursue passions that we never thought of pursuing. Personally, I pursued the art of music not only due to my intrinsic talent of perfect pitch, but also due to the sheer complexity that intrigued me so much.
This passion went on until the 12th grade. I was elected to be Himig Scientia’s Club President, wherein I led my choir members with the utmost patience with a balance of strictness, ensuring that no one is left behind in learning a song. At the same time, I joke around with them outside of practice, giving us a connection stronger than blood. We have also participated in many events, most notably receiving the 1st runner-up award in a chorale competition named “Himig ng Pag-ibig”. This only proves not only my passion for leading the choir, but the connection I have built with the members that I truly cherish.
While I was leading Himig Scientia, I got the opportunity to become an OJT at the Novaliches District Hospital for two weeks as per a requirement for our subject, “Work Immersion”. I was assigned to do work at the reception area of the Emergency Room. I was tasked with transferring patient data from doctors’ sheets into logbooks—a manual process where I used my analytical skills to ensure data integrity and optimize tracking efficiency. Witnessing the high-stakes environment of the ER, I realized that every second saved in administrative workflow ultimately serves the patients. There were many patient cases that I had to log, but I felt devastated for two of them.
One ER death, and one DOA.
It must’ve been very difficult for the families who lost their loved ones and I always gave them my silent condolences. I thought about it for a little while–the hardships of losing a loved one was heartbreakingly similar to the experience I had years ago. But I also remembered the frontliners that risked their lives while experiencing the death of others. It’s the agonizing truth of working in the medical field–that death was inevitable. But that lit a fire in me–a fire that would keep burning to this day–to save as many people as possible, while minimizing their deaths such that they wouldn’t experience the same thing I did.
The journey to this point was not easy. We witnessed a world-wide pandemic which altered our perception of normal life, had to consequently adjust once more after the pandemic had ended, and adjust while commencing the Science and Mathematics heavy curriculum that the school had to offer.
Apart from that, my family had suffered financial burdens during my time in Quezon City Science High School. We needed financial help the most at those times of our lives. However, ANI was a great help for our burdens financially. They provided me not only with the finances for my studies, but also with a community. I am truly grateful for the titos and titas of ANI that have been the kindest people I have met, the other scholars of ANI–especially Abi who introduced me to ANI in the first place, and the memories of all our dinners together where we talked, laughed, and enjoyed the meals we were given. As I leave Quezon City Science High School and open the next chapter of my life, I will fondly remember ANI as the institution that helped me. Thank you very much for your unyielding support to us students whom you found potential in, may God bless you every day of your lives and may you live forever prosperously.
