PIERCING eyes and infectious smiles—it’s not hard to miss these charming sisters when they’re out and about. They surely got the best of parents, Cheryl Pages-Alba and Jay Alba, and the makings of Cebu’s next generation of “it” girls.
You might have seen the Pages-Alba sisters gracing magazines and newspapers, or even playing dress-up on Instagram. But, there are more to them than meets the eye. These very promising kids are competitive and hardworking students.
Milana Belle, 10, stays true to her seniority. She is the lieutenant of the family and wakes everyone up in the morning, according to Cheryl. She makes sure her sisters all shower and eat breakfast early so they won’t be late to school. The eight-year-old Nikaela Summer is the ball of sunshine in the family. The little girl is bubbly as can be. She loves school and learning. Summer confides that her favorite subjects are Science and English. Calila Noelle is the youngest sister at five years. Though she is the quiet one, she is the dreamer. She wants to be a fashion designer, a doctor and a baker when she grows up. This girl says it like she means business.
Because Bright Academy has a no-homework culture, the students have enough free time to balance all of their activities. They spend their nights reading books or playing with each other. On the weekends, they do arts and crafts and play on their gadgets like other kids.
Cheryl and Jay don’t want to pressure their children when it comes to academics. However, they believe that school is important in teaching kids discipline and values.
“Being smart in school is just one way of being smart, but there are so many other ways to be brilliant aside from academics,” Cheryl said. She added that she wants her daughters to learn that life has meaning when put to good use.
Both parents want their kids to be happy when they grow up and have a strong desire to help others. At the end of the day, they want the girls to be grateful for their achievements by paying it forward.