Upholding RIGHTS, Transforming LIVES

She is standing in the hallway—looking at the roster of newly-bred leaders in the legal profession marked and furnished on the university’s wall of fame. She dreams of seeing her name on the same wall, too. Exactly a year from this day, she will face the final bout. After realizing this, she felt her heart skip a beat. No, she’s not nervous. She’s excited. She knows that she will make it. She will not just pass the bar examinations next year—she will be one of the country’s bar topnotchers of her generation.

She is Angeline. A woman of compassion and commitment to promote and uphold the rights of every individual and to transform their lives. She has finally graduated from De La Salle University’s College of Law and is now preparing for next year’s Bar Exams. She stays in their family’s house in Taft Avenue, Manila from Monday to Friday, but she spends her weekends with her family in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Today, she decided to spend her Saturday in the university library. Just like her usual routine, she goes to the place and heads for her favorite spot—the sofa near the periodicals section. She reaches for the newspaper and reads the headlines of the day. She jots down the top news and writes her reaction about these on her notes. This has been her habit ever since she had a professor in the graduate school who asks them to assiduously comment on the everyday issues being faced by the country.

After spending some time in reading newspapers, she went to the bookshelves and started looking for books that she need in studying International Law and Politics. After gathering enough sources, she went to a private room where law graduates preparing for bar exams usually stay. Angeline treats this place as sacred. The four-cornered room is like a praying room for her. There, she totally forgets the outside world and focuses on every word that the books say. There, she will be seen wearing her reading glasses, her head bowed down in concentration.

Actually, Angeline’s first passion is to help other people through medical missions and saving lives. She dreamt of being a doctor when she was in high school. However, as she became more aware of the things that are happening in her country, she realized that the Philippines is faced with so many challenges and complexities that continue to grow day by day. The country needs just and morally upright leaders in the practice of law. The Philippines needs new class of lawyers with a culture of heart.

Angeline is not yet a lawyer, but she knows that her time to be one is bound to happen soon. Deep in her heart, she promises that when she finally reaches that dream, she will continue her burning passion for justice and her desire to serve the Philippines. She knows that someday, her dream will be turned into reality—a reality that will empower every Filipino in her country.