For every difficult question, a tear and a prayer

He visited five churches before the exam, and prayed one Hail Mary for every answer he was not sure of.

John Lester Lastimosa was elated to find his name in the  list of topnotchers of  the CPA licensure examination released around 10 p.m on Thursday.

“I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t able to go back to sleep after seeing my name. I could not believe that I placed 9th in the board exam,” said Lastimosa, a magna cum laude graduate of the University of San Jose- Recoletos (USJ-R).

He said the first two days of the four-day exam were manageable for him but after the third day, he prayed hard to get a score enough to pass.

One week before taking the exam, the 22-year-old native of Talisay City prayed in Pitalo, San Fernando; Simala, Sibonga; in St. Catherine of Alexandria  Church in Carcar City; the Blessed Pedro Calungsod Chapel; and the Basilica del Sto. Niño.

Every time he stared at a difficult question before him and doubted his answer, he prayed one Hail Mary and hoped he had  the right answer.

He worked hard to complete his studies despite financial constraints. His father is a welder while his mother is a housewife.

Lastimosa said his mother often had to borrow to pay for his education.

To help, he made sure he got good grades so he could avail of the academic discount and retain his scholarship from a private auditing firm.

His hardships did not prevent him from doing well in school, where he was the student council president. Managing his time well, he even worked as a part-time English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher to pay for his school expenses.

“I worked hard to earn a discount by having high grades so that my parents would no longer have to worry about my school fees,” he said.

Another topnotcher, 10th-placer Bridjet Diaz, said seeing her name in the list is more than a blessing.

It’s a feat she thought was impossible to achieve.

“Murag kahilakon nako nag-answer, murag di ko kasabot, di gyod siya maporma. Pagka gabii ana, nihilak jod ko. Ang ako na lang jod gipangayo, Lord, akong gipangayo lang jod Lord, mapasar (I almost cried during the exam, and that night I really wept. I prayed that I will pass),” she said.

Diaz, 21,  a magna cum laude who won several competitions, is the daughter of a motorcycle-for-hire driver. Like Lastimosa, she  earned good grades to get discounts and worked part-time as an ESL teacher.

The third child in a  family of seven, Diaz, a native of Dumanjug, southern Cebu, offers her achievement to her family and friends who believed that she would be a topnotcher.

“There should be perseverance and trust in yourself and, of course, the power of faith,” she said in Cebuano.