Roy Christian Oro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Roy Christian Oro has been an achiever since his elementary years.
Oro, a graduate of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U), added another feather to his cap when he topped the August 2023 Mechanical Engineer Licensure Examination.
He said in an interview on Friday, August 11, that he did his best to prepare for the examination because he was aiming for the top spot.
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In everything that he does, Oro said, would always aim to be a better version of himself.
“I always aimed for the top 1 position,” he said.
And his hard work was amply rewarded. He landed on the top of the August 2023 Mechanical Engineer Licensure Examination with an average of 94.60 percent. He was the only Cebu graduate who made it to the Top 10 of the examinations.
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Inspired by his father
Oro said he took inspiration in preparing for the exams from his father, Engineer Roy Oro, who placed seventh when he took the Electronics Communication Engineering (ECE) Licensure Examination in November 1996.
He said that he was inspired by the hard work and perseverance of his father, who came from a poor family in Catmon, Cebu. At present, he occupies a managerial position in a telecom company.
“[I thought that] maybe I could be just like him. And of course I wanted to be more, like I could reach more, like Top 1,” said Oro.
And while he prepared for the licensure examination, his mother’s cooking helped relieve the stress that he was feeling.
Despite her busy scheduled as a professor at CIT-U, his mother, Cheryl, would never fail to prepare his favoirte ‘adobo’ so that he would have something delicious to eat after his reviews.
His mother also helped him develop an effective study habit and how to properly dissect topics for better understanding.
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Study routine
Oro said that he would frequent the CIT-U, his favoriate place to study.
He said that their library provided him a conducive environment to study. He did not also want to go to expensive cafes to review like what others would do.
“I wanted to create an environment that is conducive for learning.” Oro stated.
This video game lover would also casually hits the gym as part of his “Pomodoro” technique study routine.
Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that is based on 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by five-minute breaks. Longer breaks that typically last 15 to 30 minutes are taken after four consecutive work intervals.
Oro said that he would normally devote 30 minutes of his time to study before he would take a quick break that would normally last 15 minutes.
But he admitted that he would also succumb to distractions at times and take longer breaks. But he would always make an effort to go back to his routine.
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Turn to God for guidance
And no matter how hard you prepare, Oro said, it is important to always “turn to God for guidance.”
Oro said that while he was confident of what he could do, there were times that he was in doubt.
There were times that he was unable to sleep and he felt burned out from too much studying.
These were the times that he would turn to God for guidance.
His family also visited the Simala Shrine in Sibonga town to pray. He said that his family had developed the habit of visiting their shrine every time that a family member was set to take a major exam.
Oro said he originally planned to take the board exam in February 2023, but after he consulted with his father first, he decided to postpone his plans to August so he would have more time to review.
The August 2023 exam results show that he made the right decision.
Looking forward, Oro said, he planned to find a good-paying job and save money that he could use to pursue a masters degree either here or abroad.
Oro’s plans include proceeding to any course-related job, and once he is able to save enough money for his education, he will take a masteral program either locally or go abroad. | Mariele Ocubillo, CTU Intern
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