Welcome to my story. Read about my childhood, school years, family, and the moments that shaped who I am.
Good day everyone! Every story has a beginning, and mine
started with a beautiful love story. It began when my mother and her
family moved to Purok 2, Cataguing, San Mariano, Isabela,
where my father also lived. My father was captivated by my mother’s beauty
and decided to court her despite her parents being very strict. Their
strictness did not stop him because of how deeply he loved her. My mother
often shared stories about how caring and devoted my father was, which
always makes me smile.
As their relationship grew stronger, they built a family and were blessed
with a child — me. I was born on December 19, 2006, and I
have one sibling. My cousin gave me the name “Mart Lanceley”while my nickname, “Atting” was inherited from my
grandfather’s father, making it a meaningful part of our family history.
My story began with love, family, and the people who shaped my life.
According to my parents and grandmother, I was a very sensitive and crybaby child ever since I was born. When I was only one month old, they already noticed that I cried almost all the time. Their only way to calm me down was by carrying me around the house or taking me for walks because I simply would not stop crying. Taking care of me was exhausting for them, but despite that, they showered me with love and patience.
At the age of three, I started attending daycare as a “saling pusa” or unofficial student. My mother would patiently teach me how to count and read the alphabet at home. Even at a young age, she noticed that I was learning quickly and was somehow advanced for my age, which is why the school accepted me even though I was only three years old. I also had a cousin who would always accompany me to the basketball court where we practiced counting from 1 to 100.
My family and I would also occasionally visit Cauayan to eat at Jollibee and buy clothes. My mother and grandmother often laugh whenever they tell stories about how mischievous I was as a child. Whenever we were at the mall, I would suddenly run around and hide between the clothes racks, making them search for me everywhere. There was even one time when my mother had to pull my shirt because I was running too much, and she jokingly told my grandmother, “Uwi na tayo!! baka kung saan-saan pa mapunta tong batang 'to”. Every time they tell that story, we all end up laughing together.
Unfortunately, my health was not very good when I was young. I was a sickly child who often had coughs and colds. I still remember the time when I was diagnosed with pneumonia, and my family had to keep bringing me back and forth to the hospital just to help me recover.
When I started elementary school, my mother and I would always go to school together because she worked as a vendor in the school canteen. During Grade 1, I often cried whenever we had writing activities because I was usually slower than my classmates. By the time I reached Grade 2, I started helping my mother sell maruya. I would wake up early in the morning to help carry our products to my grandmother’s house since it was near the elementary school. My reading, counting, and writing skills improved greatly because my mother guided me very well. Around this time, I also met my childhood friends— Jolo, Clayford, Rogelio, and John Wayne. We were always doing silly and funny things together, but deep inside, we were good kids who genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. Life became more difficult when my mother went abroad while I was in Grade 4 because life was financially hard for our family. Selling in the school canteen was no longer enough to support us. When my mother left, no one was left to guide me and my sibling with our studies. Because of that, I became the one who taught my sibling how to write, count, and read. At the same time, I also pushed myself to study harder so I could make my parents proud. Despite my mother being far away from us, I managed to finish elementary school with honors. I was first honor from Grades 1 to 4 and graduated with honors during Grades 5 and 6. My parents were incredibly proud of me because even without my mother by my side, I learned how to stand on my own and continue striving for success.
High school began with fear and nervousness. It was no longer like elementary school where everything felt easy and playful. There was pressure, uncertainty, and so many “what ifs” inside my mind. Because of this, I became even more determined to study hard and achieve my dreams. My friends Jolo, John Wayne, and Clayford were still with me during those years, although Rogelio had already transferred to another school. We would always go home together, eat snacks after class, and sometimes even stay out late just to secretly grab corn from nearby fields while laughing nonstop. Despite all the fun and distractions, I still finished Grades 7 and 8 with honors. Then the coronavirus pandemic suddenly changed everything. During Grade 9, classes became fully online, and we had countless modules to answer every week. At the same time, mobile games like Mobile Legends became very popular. I slowly lost focus on my studies because I spent more time playing games than studying. Every Monday, I would go to school to submit modules and pick up new ones for the following week. Because of my lack of focus, I almost lost my place on the honors list. That became my wake-up call, and I realized that I needed to prioritize my education more than gaming. When I entered Grade 10, face-to-face classes slowly returned, but students were divided into batches for safety. It was not an easy year because we had to wear face masks, face shields, and always carry alcohol to protect ourselves from the virus. Even so, I was happy because I finally got to see my friends again. During recess, we would talk about everything we did during lockdown, and those small moments made school enjoyable again.
Senior high school officially started when the Department of Education allowed full face-to-face classes again, although masks and social distancing were still required. Many of my former high school classmates chose the ICT strand as well, so I did not feel too shy on the first day because I already knew some people. At first, I thought becoming an honor student again in senior high school would be impossible because everything was more difficult. However, I worked even harder because I wanted my achievements to somehow lessen my mother’s sacrifices abroad. During those years, I also met new friends from different barangays who eventually became important parts of my life. I also tried out for the school basketball varsity team, but unfortunately, I was not accepted. Even so, I refused to give up and instead used it as motivation to improve myself more. When I reached Grade 12, the school protocols became less strict because the coronavirus cases had finally decreased. That school year became one of the happiest chapters of my life because during our JS Prom practice, I met someone very special— Altheiah, who is now my girlfriend. She became my partner during the prom, and that was where our feelings for each other slowly started to grow. After the prom, we would often eat together, buy snacks, and walk out of the school gate side by side. During our immersion program, we would spend lunch breaks together talking, laughing, and checking on each other. Before graduation, my mother finally came home from abroad, and I cannot explain how happy I was to see both my mother and father attend my graduation. My mother also met Altheiah during that time, and that moment became one of the happiest memories of my life. After graduation, I took entrance examinations at ISU-Ilagan and ISU-Cauayan. By God’s grace, I passed both universities, but I chose ISU-Cauayan.
Before entering college,
I constantly overthought about our financial situation because my
mother was no longer abroad supporting us.
On my first day at ISU-Cauayan, I felt nervous because I did not know
anyone and I was only a freshman. After a few weeks, I met Oslec and Mark, who eventually became
my close friends. College life was much more difficult than senior high
school. There was constant pressure, fear of failure, and anxiety about
disappointing my parents. Because of that,
I used my parents and my girlfriend as my motivation to continue
pushing forward. I continue working hard for the people I love because
one day, I want to give them the life and dreams they deserve. I want to
repay all the sacrifices, struggles, and hard work they gave for me.
Despite all the challenges I face every day, I successfully survived my
first year in college without failing any subject and even came close to
becoming a Dean’s Lister. Now that I am in my second year, the
nervousness and pressure are still there because of new professors and
new challenges every semester. However, I continue to study hard every
single day because I believe that someday, all the sacrifices, sleepless
nights, and hard work will finally bear fruit.
And that is the story of my very, very short autobiography.
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