GETTING invited to write for SunStar has not sunk in yet in my system as of this writing. It’s just been a couple of days since I talked with the editor-in-chief. December 18, 2018. I marked it on my calendar, to remind me of this milestone.
Prior to the interview, I received a message from a friend who happens to be a columnist of SunStar CDO. “Oh, I have got good news for you. Would you be interested in writing opinion pieces for SunStar CDO? I told the editor-in-chief about you and he’s interested,” he said. Those words were music to my ears. But I did not get my hopes up. I prepared my resume and sample articles with low expectations of being given a space on the paper.
To start off with this column, I think it’s best to introduce myself first. My name is Marie Servangeli L. Aspera. I am fondly called Mar, Marie, Angeli or Gel by my friends. I graduated at Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, with a Bachelor degree in Development Communication major in Development Journalism.
Becoming a writer only existed in my wildest of dreams. I always aspired to become like my favorite authors: Mitch Albom, Paolo Coelho, Harper Lee and Roald Dahl. I love how their written works could take me to places and that I can learn so much about life from them. I could read them all day if I could. I also enjoy reading the newspaper, especially the opinion and feature columns.
Aside from becoming a writer, one of my goals after graduation was to become an agricultural extension worker. Since DevCom is under the College of Agriculture, taking up Animal and Crop Science were part of our curriculum. These classes have helped me appreciate agriculture in a deeper sense. Not to mention, enjoying those farm duties at four or five o’clock in the morning.
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Back in college, I used to do volunteer work. Volunteering had become one of my channels for self-improvement and my looking glass in the realities of life. Being introverted, I was pretty much boxed in my own small world before. My life was only about my family, studies and my friends. But volunteering changed all of that. Cliché as it may sound, but volunteering has allowed me to connect and help make a difference in the lives of other people and it has also provided me a sense of purpose and a great amount of happiness.
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“What do you aim to achieve in your writing?” I remember being asked with this question during my interview with the chief. And I reflected on this question again, last night as I was writing this article. My purpose of writing is to inspire, to contribute new ideas and a new way to look at life.
(marieaspera9@gmail.com)