A vibrant smile was painted all over his face. He was put under the spotlight to give his message of gratitude on a virtual homecoming program.

It was a belated Christmas gift of sorts when 19-year-old Jherry Andrei Dellica Arbotante received his tablet from the host batch (1995) of the Cebu City National Science High School (CCNSHS) as the 50th class valedictorian, in line with the school’s 50th anniversary.

“It (tablet) would definitely be useful for my online classes,” said Jherry, who topped the graduating batch of 2020 of CCNSHS (known also as Science High, where the so-called “cream of the crop” of Cebu are academically trained as government scholars). They had their delayed virtual graduation in August last year. He is currently a medical technology freshman at Velez College.

It was a balanced lifestyle for Jherry as a high school student as he was not just focused on academics but on extra-curricular activities such as being active as a campus journalist and a participant in many quiz bowls.

“I was also a staff member of the school paper “The Scholars’ Voice” and I competed as an editorial writer and news writer in School Press Adviser’s Movement (SPAM) and the Regional and District School Press Conferences,” he shared.

“In junior high school, I participated in science quiz bowls and in the Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge and Math Quiz Bowls.” Apart from that, he also represented the region during the 2020 National Population Quiz and the country in the Nepalese quiz show Quiz Mania 7-Worldwide. His membership in CCNSHS’ Math and BioPhysiChem clubs reveals that math is his favorite subject in high school because, according to him, there was “less memorization and more of analysis.” Aside from showcasing his brainy side, he also has an athletic self as a soccer player during their school’s intramurals.

Jherry has always been an achiever since his elementary school days in Don Bosco Technology Center, which made him and his parents dead set on spending his secondary studies in Science High (he took only one entrance examination for high school). He hopes to sustain the momentum in his medtech studies in preparation for medical school. However, just like most other students who have been attending online classes due to the pandemic, he also has his own “struggles” in the new learning platform.

“Aside from the internet connection, I had trouble internalizing the lessons. It’s hard to retain information when the books you read are not coupled with actual application or experience inside the place where we would work someday. It made me anxious, and I also had a hard time getting to know new people,” he shared. “Luckily, I have my family and friends who have made it bearable, which made the adjustments in my study patterns and sleeping schedules easier.” He advises his fellow students who are attending online classes to never overwork and always find time to relax.

Then again, no challenge is insurmountable when one is armed with perseverance. That’s how Jherry would view life’s hurdles.

“I strive hard to achieve my goals, but I am also flexible in times when things don’t go my way. I see it as an opportunity to learn and grow,” he said, while also admitting that he needs to polish his confidence in being sociable with other people. That’s something he considers very possible once the pandemic subsides and face-to-face classes resume.