Graduated in July 2023, Carreon said that she originally wanted to pursue a degree program in education that majors in science. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — An Indian proverb says that “sometimes, the wrong train takes you to the right station.”
As cliche as it sounds, this has been the closest saying that could relate to the destiny of Maricel Carreon, a 23-year-old Forester topnotcher from Barangay Calagasan, Argao town in southern Cebu.
Graduated in July 2023, Carreon said that she originally wanted to pursue a degree program in education that majors in science.
However, since her school did not offer the program, she decided to take forestry because it is the degree program she found closest to science.
READ MORE: FACES OF CEBU: Artjoy Torregosa, 24, promising long-distance runner
And little did she know that her choice of program would make her the top performing student in the country in the October 2023 Foresters Licensure Examination with 92.45-percent rating, besting other examinees.
Why forestry?
“My first choice is BSED (Bachelor of Science in Education) Major in Science, then wa man siya ge offer, so ni stick ko sa BS Forestry, which is more on environmental protection and conservation,” Carreon said.
Forestry is defined as the science or skill of growing and taking care of trees in forests, especially in order to obtain wood.
She considered foresters as “environmental protectors” and she said that it is very important to have more environmental protectors considering the environmental issues have become rampant in the present time.
“Ang mga forester is dako jud kaayo siya’g help sa atong society aron mas ma improve pa or ma preserve kung unsa atoang mga naa karon,” she said.
READ MORE: FACES OF CEBU: Vhal Roncesballes, 28, New York Bar Exam passer
As a forester, Carreon saw that urbanization in Cebu had become prevalent. Because of this, she said that it could have a huge contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases, which would eventually result in climate change.
She hopes that in a very simple way like planting more trees and any mitigating measures, people could do it to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
What’s next?
After getting the license and topping the exam, Carreon wants to prioritize her health first, above anything else.
“For the meantime kay mag recover usa sa akong health kay for the past months jud grabe jud ang mga challenges when it comes to physical, mental, spiritual, ug emotional health nako. Then, after that, mag proceed na og mangita’g job opportunities nga asa ma apply nako akoang license or akoa nga profession,” she said.
Carreon said that it did not come to a point that she hopes to be a topnotcher, hence, she was surprised with the result of the exam.
Her only goal was to have a license.
“I am very happy nga sa amoang family, in a simple way nahatagan nako’g reason akong parents in a simple gift nga ma proud sila nako,” she said.
Financial struggles
After she graduated in July, she immediately went into ‘self-review’ for the examination.
During that time, she said that financial problems became a concern to her because their residence is located in the rural area, and she had to go to the town to review every weekend.
She said that the distance from her home to the town is more or less 30 minutes when it is not raining, while the travel time would also reach up to an hour if it rains.
Besides the financial struggles, she was also frustrated because of the thoughts that she might not pass the examination due to her doubts in her preparations.
“Syempre ma pressure ka sa mga expectations sa mga taw but as the process goes by, mura ba’g na cope nako and nisalig ra jud ko nga kung unsa man, kayanon nalang jud ang tanan,” she said.
Trust in the Lord
Carreon said that her secret to success is perseverance and determination.
Of course, divine intervention plays a huge role too.
“Kung unsa man jud imong gipangayo, if you believe it nya imo pajud sagulan og pagkugi, e-grant jud na ni Lord,” Carreon said.
(Whatever you strive for, if you believe in it and you put in hard work, the Lord will grant that.)
Carreon is the first forester in their family, and she is the fourth among six siblings.
/bmjo