30/08/2026
"A MORE THAN I ASKED FOR" — Mary Gracielle Pauline Abao
3 years, nahanap din kita! nahanap mo rin ako!
OMG, tinuod gyud diay ang Isaiah 60:22 - "When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen."
Around 76 or 79 akong score sa CSAT three years ago, and I failed. But that failure didn't stop me from enrolling. Unfortunately, sa wrong program lang gyud ko nabutang. a program I never really wanted huhu. I genuinely tried my best to understand even the basics of Math, pero murag kutawon gyud akong utok every time. So eventually, I decided to drop the program.
After that, I never took another entrance exam. I focused on working instead, and at the same time, I spent the next three years exploring the beauty of the Philippines (sige lang ug laag) For those three years, I got to visit so many places, experience different cultures, meet different people, and discover so much about life.
And most of those adventures, I did alone.
Then this year came, and honestly, it was tough. I was dealing with a lot, and I wasn't even at my best physically and mentally.
First, I took the USTP entrance exam for BTVTED Major in Food Industries. Sige gyud ko'g rant ani because, honestly, dili gyud nako passion ang pagluto-luto. pero kay gusto nma muskwela so gooo nalang basin malove diay nako, i do love cooking, yes, but not to the extent nga himoon nako siya ug profession. And eventually, I failed gyud! ouch.
Then on March 19, I took another entrance exam. Brokenhearted char. Around the same time, I also found out that I had PCOS, so my mind was all over the place. I wasn't in the best condition, but despite everything, I still decided to take the exam because deep down, I could feel that maybe there’s something waiting for me there. a calling.
This time, I didn't hesitate to put my first-choice program: BS in Social Work.
And yes. I PASSED! Glory to God.
Looking back, I realize that maybe all those failures weren't really failures validation of you after all. The wrong program, the things I had to let go of, the three years I spent working and traveling, and even the moments when I felt completely lost - maybe they were all part of the journey.
Sometimes, what feels like a NO is actually God redirecting you toward the right path.
It was never a rejection. It was a redirection.
| PrayGround Peers — Ate Pauline