Rhycka Vitug
Application Essay – “Why is Four My Lucky Number?”
Four years into Quezon City Science High School, I sometimes believe that I have seen it all. However, every path just proves me wrong. To set a big example, I am taking this path, which has been tickling my mind that it had been waiting long enough.
Four goals await to be sifted out during my senior high school era. Having a consistent honor award comes first on the list. Some may treat and strive for it only as a credential, but I believe that it is also an attestation of my hard work and perseverance. Following this, I aspire to be a student leader known for her outstanding performance, showcasing responsibility and commitment. I believe I have shown this in my past term, but I will continue to strive for the better. Furthermore, I also aim to be participative in my classes and the school as a whole. With these aforementioned goals, I sum it up with my last goal: to be the best version of myself. Our best would not always be at the same level, but a best is a best. Goals are meant to be achieved, and with how I know myself, these will all be harvested.
Four family members are currently residing in our abode. My father has stable work, while my mother serves as a housewife who tries to get into any job that permits an opportunity. Financial struggles are given in this household, but we are still fortunate enough to have food on the table every day. However, it sometimes bothers me how we have been surviving, as my parents and I both struggle with health conditions that call for attention. Specifically, I struggle with scoliosis, inhalant allergies, eczema, and complications in my reproductive system, my father has several heart problems, and my mother endures severe allergies. Up until now, we’re still paying for our teeming debt utilized for several reasons, mainly for the renovation of the house, as the ceiling cannot handle even the lightest rain anymore. With our overall income, it is definitely not enough, given that this excludes all of our other necessities. ANI’s scholarship program will surely serve as a help in order to lessen our burden and provide me with an aid that will assist me to academic success.
Four words could describe what I perceive in the journey of aiming for this scholarship; Dream big, work hard. From the quote itself, this is a big ambition, but I believe it is just one of the first ones. Why would we hinder someone from obtaining it, if their efforts are evident? If given the opportunity, just like ANI, I will prove to everyone that I always have something to harvest, as I have a sense of dedication and hard work. ANI will serve as my bridge to the other end of the rope, wherein students in need are provided with support. Will four, my lucky number, grant me to be fourtunate enough for this scholarship?
Exit Essay – Loved to Hate, Learned to Love
I have a love-hate relationship with Rhycka. “What an odd thing to say,” many have chided me. Seemingly pertaining to myself, I was in fact pertaining to the name itself. Rhycka, spelt as ‘Ree-kah’. I loathe how the majority pronounce it as ‘Rai-kah’, ‘Rey-kah’, ‘Ree-ye-kah’, or sometimes just struggle to enunciate it at all. I despise how I am always imposed to correct how you say it. I resent how many times it has been misspelled–be it on the first, second, third, or just countless tries. I hate how it could have been spelled far more easily than with what I was named.
I cannot blame myself for appearing to be ungrateful for the precious name I was given, for what could a child do when her sense of identity felt stripped away by absurd pronunciations she was being hurled at? I have become so accustomed to this situation that my mind and mouth instinctively anticipate what is about to happen whenever someone encounters my name. Was I a prophet at this point? I vividly recall my gynecologist humorously asking me if I was Russian after reading it as ‘Reegh-kah’, with a hard emphasis on the ‘R’. At times I grow weary of it, yet at the end of the day, I realize it is never their fault; that is simply my name and the way it is spelt.
That is when it dawns on me that my name, Rhycka, is among the fundamental qualities that evoke my identity, distinctiveness, and authenticity. It is a six-letter word marked by an oddity: five consecutive consonants. It might seem complicated at first glance, but getting to know it makes you realize that it is a simple two-syllable name.
Perhaps we could relate it to ourselves, too. There is a never-ending saying of, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Much like my name, outer qualities do not define our inner character. Throughout the moments I have heard people mention my name, the ‘love’ part in my love-hate relationship with it grew on me.
I have always been perceived as an individual with a commanding presence and straightforward attitude. Could these have been honed by my genetics, my environment, or my personal choices? Nonetheless, some may find it off-putting, but I definitely admire these qualities of mine. They instill in me a sense of control, strength, and confidence, in such a way that no one can make an effort to belittle or destroy me.
In spite of that, reverberating at the back of my mind is the realization that, somehow, this is all a facade I have built around myself. I still have something inside me that keeps me pondering on when, where, and to whom should I express it. I may display a dominating aura, but around the people I am comfortable with, I am just another teenager surviving and striving for what she thinks is best for her.
My surface qualities would never define me as a person. Those are genuine and mere reflections of my outward self, yet they cannot encompass my true self and values. People
can be both protective and vulnerable of themselves simultaneously, depending on the circumstances.
It is undeniable that judging comes easily to all of us, often due to unfamiliarity, prejudice, or misunderstanding. Even so, when all is said and done, we are all simply humans existing in this intricate world, each perceiving it in our own way. No matter how pleasant or flawed my uniqueness seems to be, it has been long engraved in my mind to embrace it. My special name has taught me the greatest lesson in my life: to value the brighter side of having something I am able to proudly introduce over and over again.
Being in ANI has further strengthened this experience of mine. I will always be proud of how I was able to participate and grow myself in this community. The people, especially Tito Phil, Tito Arnaldo, Tita Tere, and my closest friends have all contributed in helping me attain this realization of self-identity and self-awareness. Our journey may have had to end sooner, but all the fundamental principles that I have learned will cling to me for eternity.
Rhycka, spelt as ‘Ree-kah’. I admire how people try to pronounce it how they are able to. I cherish how I am always thrilled to let them hear the way to put it into a word. I am amused by how many times its letters have been scrambled. I love how it could’ve been spelled much more easily, but it wasn’t.
I feel the need to apologize for my initial statement at the top of this page, as the present version of Rhycka genuinely believes and upholds that her relationship with her name is purely one of love.
