As I begin this, let me just get one thing out of the way: Kathy is brilliant in Mathematics. There; you know it, I know it, now everybody knows it. Now we can proceed…
You see, there is so much more to Kathy than just her obvious achievements in the academe, and for us to dwell on those would not be doing justice the kind of person she really is. I, for one, consider myself very privileged to have seen that side of her grow throughout her 4 years in Quesci.
I met Kathy at the organizational meeting for one of the clubs in Quesci, and I remember how we hit it off almost instantaneously. Of course, my impressions of her did go from,
“She’s so friendly” to
“Lord, she’s noisy” to
“Grabe, ang taray naman nito.” Still, by the end of the day, I swear, I was hooked. I knew definitely we’d be good friends for a very long time.
I like to think I helped “discover” Kathy in her first year. I fought to give her a chance on the team when she failed to make it outright. I believed then that she was destined for greatness; I still do. She hasn’t disappointed me yet—but, I digress. My point isn’t the fact that she made the team, you already know that story. It’s what she did when she made it that impressed me no end.
Because I was able to help train their batch for various competitions through all four years, I got to see first hand the kind of focus and effort Kathy put in our preparations. See, most people think winning the competitions comes easy out of talent. But there is a lot of sacrifice, tears and sweat that go into winning just one medal. Anyone can have talent, the will to cultivate it is an entirely different matter—and Kathy had the will.
In fact, Kathy’s sense of personal responsibility and accountability in training put even me to shame. In Team Quesci, we have these pillars called the 4 D’s: Desire, Determination, Dedication and Discipline. And with respect to all others, I must say that Kathy was the consummate example of all those traits. I really could not have asked for more from her.
But she did do more. And her crowning glory to me, wasn’t something she did do, but something she didn’t. In their 3rd year, Kathy qualified outright for a slot in the 3rd year team for the MTAP. But she gave up her slot for her close friend, Mai-Mai Pastrana—a gesture which is almost unheard of among contestants, even amongst us. And not that Mai-mai didn’t deserve to be in the team; but certainly, Kathy did too. It was just an unfortunate circumstance that there was limited room.
But that is precisely the kind of friend Kathy is. She puts others before herself. In the family that is Team Quesci, if Millicent is the “mother figure”, Kathy is the perfect “ate”—gentler, more tender. With Kathy, there is no such thing as tough love. When she cares for you, trust that you will feel it. And it would literally warm your heart. I know it was always enough to just be around her to calm me down on my worst days in Quesci; and I have had some really bad days. I have now lost count of how many times Kathy has been there for me. I’m sure you’ve lost count too; go ahead, I dare you to count.
I could go on and on about Kathy, but a page simply wouldn’t be enough. So let me end with this: Kathy may not have won as many awards as her more prominent batchmates and teammates. But she was just as good and deserved just as much. But then again, there is no fair prize for having a golden heart. Besides, to her friends, Kathy is the prize.
*this is my yearbook write up (God, i hope it made it just in time)
and thanks to Jireh, i cried right after my first reading..
btw, i was known as kathy back in high school
