Prayers, peanuts + passion for books
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A PASSION FOR READING, PRAYERS and peanuts helped Jaylord Losabia, 21; top the recent LET for the elementary level.The fresh education graduate of Iloilo City’s University of San Agustin attended review classes between his private tutoring sessions. Though reviewing helped him prepare, Losabia says it was banked knowledge that came handy on examination day.
He says he got “a bit frustrated” after the tough test, but he is thankful that the “knowledge bank that I got from reading, of which I am really fond, enabled me to answer some of the unfamiliar questions.”
The youngest in a family of nine, he used to read the school books of his elder brothers and sisters. As early as the second grade, he read a history book that wasn’t even a class requirement.
Wide reader
“I am a wide reader. I read all kinds of books,” he says.
His passion for reading helped him develop his comprehension skills, he adds.
As early as grade school, Losabia was focused on academics instead of joining clubs and other school groups. He participated in quizzes in language, science, general information and even theology.
Though not the typical nerd who studied every night, Losabia says he was an almost permanent fixture in the library.
Born to a carpenter’s family, Losabia finished high school through the support of older siblings. In college, he applied for several scholarships and got one from the SM Foundation.
It was a friend who informed him that he had topped the LET. He was watching television one evening when a friend called him to say she had heard his name on the radio.
“My initial reaction was disbelief,” he recalls. “I was very surprised. After the news had finally sunk in, I was thankful.”
He also felt grateful to those who prayed for him. He says students “should not make their test-taking journey just their own.” Like him, they should “ask for the help of God and other people.”
But he cautions: Asking other people for help should be done “before the exams and not during exams because that would be cheating.”
He admits to being a funny guy and describes himself a “happy-go-lucky” person.
He shares with future examinees these strategies that worked for him: “If you really know the answer, then go for it. Rationalize why the other choices are incorrect and your choice is the correct answer. Also, eat peanuts.”
Topping the LET made Losabia feel “more confident about myself. I’ve realized that I achieved something by doing my very best.”
Inspiring
He hopes to be able to teach at a public grade school in Iloilo City soon, perhaps even at his own alma mater, the A. Bonifacio Elementary School.
“My dream is to at least help my family improve our lives financially even though I know that a teacher only gets a modest salary,” he says.
He will be a teacher, he says, “who never underestimates, belittles or discourages my students. I will be the kind of teacher who will motivate and inspire them to develop their own potentials.”
He hopes to pursue graduate studies if he is fortunate enough to get another scholarship.
Losabia is excited to finally be able to apply what he has learned. He promises to do well and to prove his worth.
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