Story By Marifel June Alfaro
Photos By HUMSS Grade 12 Students
It was the 9th of December, 2019, the first day of our Work Immersion Journey. I was assigned to the Legal Office at the San Carlos City Hall together with my two so called work buddies.
Before I stepped inside the office, my heart was beating loudly, I could hear it in my head but I didn’t let that stop me. I shook my trembling hands as if by doing so that nerves would fly away into the air and I maintained my rim rod posture as I exhaled a deep breath. Then, I told myself, “You can do this, Fel! You can!”
I proceeded to the office and saw that my two work buddies were nervous as well. The nerves were pretty normal because we were expecting a real lawyer to come in and orient us. Moments later, Attorney came in and the voices in my head were panicking and in a heartbeat, a slight thud was heard from the table in front of us. We looked at each other with wide eyes as we turned our heads back to the table. It was a huge and thick law book. As if that was not bad enough, we were told to study it for an oral exam later in that afternoon.
I, of course, was aghast. I couldn’t even move nor could I believe anything of the attorney’s words. I wanted to break the tension but there was this aura of Attorney that made me feel like I’ve done something wrong even though I knew I was innocent. Thus, I decided to just follow what he told us instead of cracking jokes. My buddies couldn’t believe it our quicksand. I knew they were skilled but I also knew that they were skittish. That time, we helped each other through reading and memorizing the texts together because we knew that each of us would have different questions and we came up with an idea of memorizing everything to really prepare ourselves.
Whew! It was truly a tough first day and I spent my entire lunch break reading a thick book the words of which seem to not stay in my brain but it was really worth my sweat. Our classmates who also had their immersion at the City Hall teased us about our choice of assignment at the City Legal Office. They all saw it as a pain instead of fun. But I stood my ground and told them that I didn’t really regret choosing this track because I believe that if we really want to excel and reach our goals then we have to sacrifice for it. Perhaps eventually the road will be smooth after the sticks and bums but still it is the same road we will encounter just to arrive at the goal.
The books became more intriguing as I turned the pages. The oral exam didn’t take place though, much to our joy and relief but we all reflected about that unnerving first day. I remembered the wisdom that Attorney gave us. He told us that being a lawyer is not just about defending those who are abused but, being a lawyer is about understanding the needs of the people for justice. It is also about erasing prejudice which is prevalent in this time and age.
That day ended and I went home with a clear vision in mind. Just one day of Work Immersion Program at the City Legal Office served me a philosophy that I can definitely apply when I go out to the real world. That day I learnt that there are no short-cuts to realizing my dream. If I want it, I have to earn it. That’s exactly what the Work Immersion Program is for—to “immerse” students into their future careers.
It was an eye-opener, harsh but effective. It has impact on my drive to finish my studies and be in the running for achieving my dream. It might have looked like a bad day, but it served me inspiration for the many days ahead.
