Graduating college is a feat in itself. Doing so at the top of your graduating class is another achievement a person should be proud of. To do that while knowing when to take a break is another level of bravery and achievement that this fresh graduate has secured.
Jethro Sia Modequillo, a fresh computer science graduate, topped the graduating class of 2024 from the University of the Philippines Cebu as a summa cum laude.
He is part of the batch that produced a historic number of five summa cum laude graduates, the most across all graduating classes from the school ever since it was instituted as a constituent university.
To spotlight his story, Jethro shared a bit of his journey as he recapped why he chose to take a one-year break from school and how he still managed to top his graduating class.
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Meet Jethro before becoming a class valedictorian
Jethro admitted in an interview with CDN Digital that he was not always the most academically inclined student when he was young. In fact, he said that he had “mediocre” grades.
“I probably spent more time in internet cafes than studying,” he humorously said, narrating how he usually played video games all day and crammed his assignments at night.
School chores were extremely difficult from his perspective, and he settled with that idea as a child. Things changed for him in high school when he was diagnosed with an undisclosed disorder that explained why he was having a hard time with school.
Jethro Sia Modequillo | Contributed Photo
With proper treatment, Jethro’s perspective on school changed. His attitude towards schoolwork improved by miles as he started working on his deliverables, especially those related to STEM subjects.
One thing led to another, and his grades increased, as did others’ expectations of his performance: “Since then, I think I’ve just been trying to excel academically to keep up appearances for this new reputation I had.”
To keep up, he developed new strategies even to improve his studies. His tip was always to write everything down because he apparently doesn’t trust his brain to store all the information he has learned.
He started with to-do lists and written class notes until he transferred them to digital notes using effective note databases and spreadsheets. In the end, it benefitted him, especially when staying on top of any tasks he was supposed to work on.
Class valedictorian: choosing to take a break
Even though Jethro tries to keep up with his task, it is not always easy for him to do so, especially when his body is telling him to stop.
Several times during the pandemic, he noticed that it took him days to finish tasks that he usually finishes in hours, which did no good for his studies, considering that he is studying at a very competitive state university.
“I’d stare at my screen to type out an essay, but nothing would come out. For a long time, I thought this was just procrastination, but I don’t think so anymore,” he explained, also adding that procrastination is supposedly pleasurable, but he felt nothing but anxious about not finishing his work.
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He initially kept it to himself for fear of being brushed off as someone lazy, as a person would instantly assume upon looking at his situation from an outside perspective. However, he was sure that it was bigger than laziness.
Jethro Sia Modequillo in a Zoom meetup with friends. | Contributed Photo
Upon realizing that it was his mental health that suffered, he did the brave thing and took a one-year leave of absence from school during the pandemic. Studying was supposed to be natural for him, but he knew something was wrong when he started to dread it.
He was firm with his decision to take a break instead of forcing himself to be miserable, even though it meant he would graduate a year late. In fact, when his previous batchmates graduated ahead of him, he felt nothing but pride and support for them.
Last year’s graduation was to celebrate them, not me. I knew I was going to graduate late, but I was already over that. I was just another observer celebrating their success, just like every other friend and family member there.
That time, he knew that day was for them. The day for him will soon come.
Becoming the class valedictorian
In the end, Jethro’s day did come.
He was announced as the valedictorian of the University of the Philippines Cebu Class of 2024. He achieved this feat by working hard on his studies and learning when to take a break.
In his graduation speech, he encouraged his fellow graduates to follow their passion and recognized the contribution of the Filipino people that paved the way for the graduates to experience free education. Most importantly, he highlighted the importance of forgiving oneself, something he failed to do.
I strongly believe that people can do better when they do so without expectations. When they’re given space to succeed and fail and explore and learn; when they’re free to experiment; when being wrong is worthy of celebration, like being right because making mistakes means you’re actively engaged in learning.
Jethro is still “starry-eyed” about his success but is more keen on achieving other qualities. That includes humility, compassion, and accountability–things he believes will last longer than the glamor of being at the top of his class.
Jethro Sia Modequilla (in Barong) took a photo with his friends and girlfriend returning to the university to celebrate his graduation. | Contributed Photo
The UP class valedictorian has thanked his parents, to whom he was rarely verbally affectionate, and his partner, who has always been with him throughout his college journey.
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When asked whether he would still take a break if allowed to change his mind, he proudly said he would 100% do it again. Taking a break was one of the things that helped him achieve his feat. His one-year break helped him improve his mental health, which, in turn, became beneficial when he came back to study.
He capped his address by celebrating the achievements of each graduate present with him at the ceremony, which he wished to summarize in his parting words: “You made it, and I am so proud of you.”