New lawyer Chrisha Romano-Weigel and her late mother, Marissa.| Contributed photo
“It’s not going to be an easy road. There will be a lot of challenges, and you will have to expect that God will really throw some stones at you just to keep you on your toes and make sure that you’ll learn the right values, and so, one way to look at these challenges is really to accept them as a test from God to see if you have already improved enough.”
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Being a Law student is a challenging journey.
And new lawyer Chrisha Romano-Weigel of the University of San Carlos-Law School, who ranked 27th of the 2022 Bar Exams, is a living testament to this.
READ: University of San Carlos grad lands in top 6 of 2022 Bar Exams
In addition to the challenges that Weigel faced as a mooter student (a mooter is a person who competes in an international mooting competition similar to being a lawyer presenting an argument before the international court), her mother passed away just before she graduated and eventually became a lawyer.
“It was challenging watching her fade every day; it was not easy. The emotion really affects you also mentally. I remember I had to take one of my exams during her wake. So, the mass was ongoing while I was taking the exams in the back room,” she told CDN Digital sadly and tearfully.
Weigel dedicates this milestone to her family, especially to her mother, Marissa who succumbed to diabetes.
“She could not be with me as I celebrate this milestone, but I am hoping and praying that she’s looking at me from above, happy, because this was also her dream. I am also thankful for my lolo and lola. I always go to them when I find that I am already overwhelmed with everything,” she said.
She also thanked her sisters and husband, Carl Steven, who were patient and supportive of her along the way.
READ: Atty. Baes, Bar exams 6th placer : “There was a bit of expectation”
Chrisha Romano-Weigel with husband, Carl Steven.| Contributed photo
Although her mother wanted to have a lawyer as a daughter, Weigel said that she did not think from a young age that she would study law.
Rather, it was something that came to her after college.
Weigel, 28, who was originally from Cambaro, Mandaue City, and now living in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu Lapu City, is an accountancy graduate from the University of Cebu and was employed for a while, before venturing into business.
“Then during that time, I felt that I wanted to explore something else that maybe there was something else for me and for some reason, a friend of mine, actually, the cousin of my husband, informed me that he was planning to enroll in San Carlos and I told him I’ll come with you and I’ll try my luck as well and that’s how everything started,” she said.
True enough, Weigel entered law school and became extra-ordinary at that.
READ: Cebu’s Eva Patalinjug: From Bb. Pilipinas titleholder to lawyer
She became a mooter representing her school, presenting an argument before the international court.
However, even this opportunity and exposure did not come without a challenge.
While mooting, Weigel had to be trained, and during training, she had to be taken out of class, and the fact that she could not attend the class and had to study a whole different aspect of law, which is international law, and then go back to class where her classmates had been studying a different subject was extra challenging.
Now, that she’s one step away from being a full-fledged lawyer, Weigel promised herself to defend the voiceless.
READ: Bar topnotcher from Cebu can nominate scholar in his alma mater
She aspires to become a good lawyer, and a good person overall.
If there’s one advice that she could give to aspiring lawyers, it is to keep persevering and just “hang in there.”
“It’s not going to be an easy road. There will be a lot of challenges, and you will have to expect that God will really throw some stones at you just to keep you on your toes and make sure that you’ll learn the right values, and so, one way to look at these challenges is really to accept them as a test from God to see if you have already improved enough,” she said.
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