Why I Wanted to Study in UP Diliman
by Oliver Carlos
When I was in 3rd year high school, I already knew what I wanted in life. My mind was fixed, and I had a detailed plan mapped out for the rest of my life. What’s more, I’m very determined to pursue my dream, at all costs. I wanted to be a professional basketball player.
I fell in love with basketball and it became my passion, I wanted to make it my profession. Basketball was huge in my time, many people watched it and talked about it. The previous year, 1986, was a special year, because my favorite teams were champions. In the PBA, Jaworski just led Ginebra to its 1st ever championship. They won with a ragtag local line-up. In the UAAP, my favorite school team, the UP Maroons, also won its 1st ever men’s basketball title. Their most notable player was wonder rookie Benjie Paras, who later became a PBA legend.
While most people around me were contented to be fans, I was different. I played the sport. What’s more, I just don’t play for fun in the playgrounds, I wanted to play at the highest stage, which was the PBA. I ate and breathe basketball in those years. I was a diligent student of the game. I trained 3 times a day, kept an athlete’s diet, and shunned vices.
For me to reach my dream, I observed how the current PBA players got theirs. I noticed that they were at first varsity players in the UAAP or NCAA. They made a name in the collegiate leagues, and then got themselves drafted in the PBA. So I told myself, I had to be in a Metro Manila school for me to get discovered. The most logical choice was UP Diliman because I grew up in the UP community in Laguna.
I knew I can pass the UPCAT and I knew I have the discipline and study habits to survive Diliman, but to cut the long story short, my plan didn’t come to fruition. There were many reasons why I ended up in UPLB, one of which was finances. Board and lodging in Diliman was beyond our means at that time. So I ended up studying in a campus that was just walking distance away from home. I was so heartbroken.
Now, more than 3 decades later, as I look back at my life, I’d say I’m glad I was able to get over that heartache and live with peace in my heart. I believe God didn’t allow my dream to happen because he has a better alternative. I am who I am now because I allowed God to work in my life. I became a teacher and I’m now on my 27th year in the profession. In all those years, thousands of students have been in my classroom and I believe I have contributed something positive in their lives one way or the other. I’m happy where God has placed me. My life and career could have been worse had I forced my way to a direction God does not plan for me. God knows best. I had to trust that truth.
In the Bible, there’s a story of a man named Balaam who was riding a donkey on a narrow alley. He was on a selfish mission. Then God sent a roadblock for him, an angel with a drawn sword, ready to kill if he would proceed on that road. The donkey saw the angel, but Balaam did not. The donkey stopped and Balaam beat up the animal so it would walk forward, but to no avail. Then God caused the donkey to talk back to Balaam, and only then was he able to recognize the big trouble ahead of him on that road. In the end, Balaam adjusted his plan, he made it according to God’s will. He went over to a place overlooking the Israelite camp, and from there, he blessed God’s people. We read in Numbers 22:38 (NLT):
Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.”
Sometimes God would put roadblocks on our way because his plans are higher than our plans. When you encounter such situation, don’t despair. Don’t think of it as a tragedy, but God’s way of bringing out the best in you. Believe that he is transforming you into the person he would use to bless others to the max.
