Each board taker has that one little story that defines their board exam journey, whether a pep talk from a mentor or a serendipitous event that changed them.
For this Boholana dentistry graduate, it was one unforgettable day in Metro Manila, where she temporarily stayed to attend her review classes that surely made a mark in her story.
She was in the middle of a five-hour commute to her review center when she accidentally overslept. Moments later, she woke up, missing her bus stop, with her phone battery dead, in a city that she was unfamiliar with.
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She started to panick and cried, not knowing what to do until she gathered herself. Looking back at all the challenges that she had to overcame to prepare for the board exams, she had no other plan but to top the board exam to make her struggles worth it.
So, she did. She is Dr. Decharon Mulat, the lone topnotcher from a Cebu-based university who placed 9th in the recently released results of the June 2024 Dentists Licensure Examination.
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Like any other feat, preparing for the dentistry licensure exam was not easy. Her success story is a vindication of her years-long journey paved by a series of pitfalls and resilience that she bravely shared in an interview with CDN Digital.
Life as a Dentistry Student
Dr. Mulat disclosed that dentistry was not her first choice. In fact, it was her third.
She started college as a medical technology student partly because she finds interest in attending medical school to become a physician. However, she realized the program did not fit her, so she transferred after her first year.
Dr. Decharon Mulat as a dentistry student | Contributed Photo
She enrolled in a six-year dentistry program at Southwestern University-PHINMA, where she described herself as a “lowkey” or an average student who was never known to achieve anything big.
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Being a shiftee also did not help since it hindered her opportunity to achieve the highest academic honors for her course. So, she did what she had to do and focused on finishing the course and moving on.
In the interview, Dr. Mulat said she thought studying dentistry was a perfect shortcut for her to become a doctor. Still, certain circumstances happened that she failed to foresee: “I thought it would fast-track my path to becoming a doctor, but it didn’t. It drained me financially, physically, and mentally.”
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It took her more than eight years to finish what supposedly was a six-year degree program, mainly due to certain issues she did not disclose further. But she persevered even when the expenses from studying the course took a toll on their family’s finances because she truly loved dentistry.
I was amazed by the transformations [dentistry] brought—seeing the smiles after treatment, the relief patients felt after having teeth extracted, and the joy they expressed. It inspired me to keep going with the program.
Main Review Struggle: Commuting in a Foreign City
Fortunately, Dr. Mulat finished the dentistry program and moved on to the next stage: preparing for the board examination.
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Picking the review center that suited her goals, she enrolled in a reputed program in Manila City against all odds. She could not afford to rent a dorm in the area, so she stayed at her uncle’s house in North Caloocan City.
This extends her commute time to three to five hours of bus and train rides, which she endured for months while reviewing for the examination. Even so, she chose to be resilient and developed strategies to make the most out of her living situation.
During that time, I was frustrated with my situation because I had to balance studying and travel time. I had to sacrifice sleep to avoid commuting during rush hour and studied at McDonald’s to make up for lost time.
Most of the months during Dr. Mulat’s review season, she spent time studying in a fast-food chain near an LRT station or sleeping while commuting, if not in the middle of her review class lectures. This setup even resulted in unfortunate circumstances, including the time she got lost while commuting.
Dr. Decharon Mulat during her review session in Manila | Contributed Photo
With these, she repeatedly vowed to herself that she would top the board exam to make the series of struggles that she encountered more meaningful. She worked hard, stayed strong, and focused amid her sacrifices until she got a glimpse of her future feat.
Dr. Mulat aced her review center’s mock board examination, which gave her a fighting chance to top the licensure examination. She disclosed that it was not easy, but she realized it was a fight she could win.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help: Cebuana topnotcher’s central devotion
When asked what made her strong while encountering obstacles far from her family, she disclosed her devotion to the Our Mother of Perpetual Help at the Baclaran Church.
Whenever she feels overwhelmed, she takes a train ride to the church, vents out all her frustration, and talks to her. For Dr. Mulat, this routine helped her.
Photos of the Baclaran Church | Photo: Decharon Mulat
More than that, she also shared her goals and dreams with the Our Mother of Perpetual Help, which is why she felt a religious connection with her.
Dr. Mulat cried in the church after taking the written exams because, as she answered them, she felt the Lord’s presence with her. She also experienced the same presence while taking the licensure examination.
She felt at peace and calm for a time, but doubts came in, and she bombarded God and Mother Mary with questions.
Mother Mary, why wasn’t I nervous the whole time I was taking the boards? Why were the exams easy for me? Am I overconfident, or was it because of you?
At that time, she did not know the answers to the questions that she asked, but with her strong devotion and motivation fueled by her years-long struggle, she was determined to finish strong and achieve this feat for herself and the people who supported her.
Lone Cebuana dentistry exam topnotcher
On July 1, when the Professional Regulation Commission released of the board exam results. Dr. Mulat was in the Church of Novaliches to hear Mass. She went to church on a Monday because she missed the Sunday mass the week prior.
As she was on leaving the church, she noticed that her phone kept buzzing. It was raining then, so she took sheltered in a nearby fast-food restaurant. It was then that she decided to check her phone. There, she screamed as she saw her name on the list of topnotchers for the licensure examination.
On a random Monday, in a fast-food restaurant similar to the one she used to spend a lot of her time studying in, in what used to be a foreign city, she found out that all the struggles she went through paid off.
She looked back and dedicated this achievement to everyone who believed in her, including her uncle and brother, who financed her review journey. She also dedicates it to her boyfriend and mentor, who always pushed her to be the best and saw her potential.
I offer this success to them, not for myself; I didn’t pray for this for myself, but for them. I said to the Lord, ‘Place me on the topnotcher list for them, not for myself.
For the future board takers, Dr. Mulat said that they have to believe in themselves and study smart when approaching the board examination while ensuring they have a goal in mind. She also highlighted the importance of resting and praying because they are as effective as hard work.
Dr. Mulat’s next goal is to take her oath as a licensed dentist, but her future remains open. With her past few years dedicated to setting goals and reaching them while overcoming obstacles, she truly deserved this time to bask in the feat she achieved for herself and the people who believed in her.