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Feature: Three Roles at Once
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a student-leader-athlete? Meeting with your organization and leading them, attending practices and competitions, going home late and dealing with your duties at home, while still managing to maintain good grades? Well, you may finally understand what it feels like as we take a look at a few students who experience these themselves.
Reneil Grimaldo, 16, currently a Grade 11 student, has been a role model to Batch 2021 since elementary school. Growing up, he was also surrounded by role models. His older siblings joined student organizations and varsity teams, serving and representing the school well. His eldest sister Rainiel Grimaldo, from Batch 2019, was also a part of student organizations when she was in high school, and his older brother Reinard Grimaldo, from Batch 2020, was an achiever and a key player of the UPIS Track and Field team. Living in a competitive environment with all the achievements and roles his siblings have, one would expect Reneil to be pressured. However, this actually inspired him to be an achiever.
ACHIEVER! Reneil Grimaldo accepting his award in last year’s Parangal. Photo Credit: UPIS
He started his student-leader life 7 years ago, when he was in Grade 4. He was recommended to be the Grade 4 representative of the Pamunuan ng Kamag-Aral 3-6, the UPIS student council of the entirety of UPIS 3-6.
Throughout the years, he voluntarily joined student organizations and was elected in year level organizations (YLO). Reneil joined the Freshman Association (FA) as secretary and the Sophomore Association (SoA) as public relations officer. In Grade 10, he was elected as president of the Senior Council. As an active YLO officer, some of his activities included planning for the annual Powerdance Competition, organizing the Acquaintance Party for freshmen, and overseeing the UPIS elections. Now, he is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Media Center 2021.
Most leaders are expected to do well academically, especially here at UPIS, and Reneil is an example of someone who successfully balances his time between studies and co-curricular activities. Being a consistent Principal’s Lister since the second semester of Grade 8, and winning the Leadership and the Gerry Roxas award when he was in Grade 10, he has proven that he can be a great leader whilst also being a great student and classmate who’s eager to help, learn, initiate, and a classmate you can rely on.
Besides having the load of being a student-leader, he was also an athlete. He pursued his passion for dancing and cheering, which is why he joined the UPIS Pep Squad in his first year of high school, inviting his other batchmates and friends who eventually loved the sport as well. As the years went by, he realized that his passion is dancing, yet he chose to stay in the Pep Squad since there was no other dancing team or club at UPIS. He was part of the street dance team formed to join the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Streetdance Competition in AY 2018-2019 and he continued to pursue his passion by signing up for dance classes after the competition.
FLY HIGH. Reneil Grimaldo as one of the flyers of UPIS Pep Squad on their performance on UPIS Days. Photo Credit: Neil Grimaldo
Besides Reneil, there are also a lot of students juggling different roles at the same time. Jammy Mapa, Robert Ambat, both from Batch 2021, and Gian Manalo from Batch 2022, are also students, leaders, and athletes.
Jammy has been a student-leader since freshman year, taking on various responsibilities and roles like Reneil. She was appointed FA Marshall Girl and ran and won for SoA and JA President. She eventually stopped running for elections on her last year in junior high school to focus more on her academics and sports.
Besides being a leader, she is a consistent part of the Principal’s List, proving she can be a good student whilst being a good leader. She often joined Math competitions, along with other representatives, and represented the school well, earning medals of recognition. She did all of these whilst also being a Senior Scout and Cadet for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines and member of the UP Varsity Swim Team or Junior Tankers.
When asked about her struggles, she stated, “At first it was hard balancing all of my responsibilities. I often felt pressured to be able to excel in all my roles in school, often being sleep-deprived just to be able to complete all the tasks I had to do. As time went by, I learned to manage my time properly, focusing on my academics and the YLO when I’m at school and focusing on my sport when I’m at the pool.”
Now, as a senior high school student, she continues to focus more on her academics and sport, aiming to excel in both of it.
DARE TO DREAM. Jammy Mapa (left) and Franz Joves (right) carrying the 2nd runner up trophy achieved by the girls’ team of UPVST on UAAP Season 79. Photo credit: Anne Mapa
Robert has taken a different path compared to Reneil and Jammy. After being the Business Manager of FA when he was in Grade 7, he then served as Marshall Boy of the Pamunuan ng Kamag-Aral (pKA) 7-12. He continued being part of the pKA as treasurer for two consecutive years.
Like Jammy, he was also a scout. He was part of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) since elementary. He and Jammy were teammates on the swim team, ‘til Robert stopped when he was in the ninth grade. Some may think he stopped because of the workload of all his roles, but not many know that though he stopped being a member of the school’s extra-curricular activities, he joined various extracurriculars that weren’t school-based, like language classes.
All of these responsibilities in school were handled by Robert while also being the eldest of the 3 siblings of the Ambat family, another responsibility to fulfill in their home.
Gian, on the other hand, is currently a Grade 10 student from Batch 2022 who has signed up for all extra-curricular activities one could possibly have in UPIS. He was part of their batch’s FA, SoA, and JA, and is now part of the SC. He is a Phoenix of the BSP, and he is currently a member of the UPIS Track and Field Team. On top of that, he continues to excel in academics as he’s a part of the Principal’s List since the second semester of Grade 6, and has an active social life.
Gian believes his peers have a lot of impact on how he continues to grow as a person. When he was also asked what struggles he faces every day with these extra activities and how he manages to handle them, he said, “I always thought of quitting everything I do but I don’t want to because there are a lot of people/things who depend on my initiative and also, I like what I’m doing. To solve these, I often take rest time seriously and anything is possible when you have the right motivation and support group, aka friends!”
Being a student-leader-athlete can be tiring, yet fulfilling. As Robert also stated, “It may be intimidating, but doing extracurriculars will teach you a lot of things you will never learn everyday or in class.”
The workload will surely be heavy; you have to manage your time and find a balance between these three roles. But it’s not impossible, it’s just a matter of pursuing your passions and interests, managing your time wisely, and knowing your priorities. If it makes you happy and fulfilled, why not do it? //by Kyle Mararac
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