There are moments in life when we find ourselves wondering who we might have become had we chosen a different path.
I have often asked myself that question.
Everything seemed to change after my high school graduation. My plans were clear, and Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines was never my first choice for college. But just days after graduation, my brother unexpectedly passed away. In the midst of grief, one of his wishes for me became the reason I enrolled at Ateneo. What felt like a decision made out of loss eventually became one of the greatest gifts of my life. Looking back now, I realise that God often writes our stories through paths we never intended to take.
Jesuit education did more than prepare me academically. It shaped the way I see the world and my place in it. It taught me to seek God in all things, to become a person for and with others, and to recognise that leadership begins with love, humility, and service. These values quietly became part of who I am, long before I fully understood their depth.
Years later, an unexpected turn led me to become an educator. It was never part of my carefully crafted plans. At the time, I was already a young civil servant with the stability and security that many people hope to attain early in their careers. Yet I chose to leave that certainty behind and embrace a path with no assurance, trusting only that I was being called somewhere I could not yet see. Along the way, I discovered an old preschool yearbook where I had written that I wanted to become a teacher—a dream I had completely forgotten. Somehow, God remembered it even when I did not.
When I was deployed by Ateneo de Davao University as a Cardoner volunteer to Xavier Learning Community in Thailand, I came to understand that education is more than teaching lessons. It is accompanying people, listening deeply, walking with those at the margins, and believing that every person carries dignity and immeasurable worth. The Ignatian spirit of accompaniment has taught me that sometimes the most meaningful work is not found in extraordinary achievements but in faithfully showing up for others every single day.
Just recently, I found myself in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, representing Ateneo de Davao University and Xavier Learning Community at the XI World Union of Jesuit Alumni (WUJA) Congress through the Youth Cadre Program.
The XI WUJA Congress marked a significant milestone as it celebrated seventy years of promoting Ignatian values and fostering global collaboration. More than a commemorative gathering, it served as a Leaders’ Summit where Jesuit alumni, educators, and young leaders from across the world came together to strengthen Ignatian-rooted networks, cultivate meaningful partnerships, and reflect on the challenges and opportunities shaping our shared future.
As I sat among Jesuit alumni from different parts of the world, listening to stories of hope, justice, faith, and service, I realised that this was far more than simply attending an international gathering.
It felt like coming home.
It felt like coming full circle.
The university I entered because of my brother’s final wish had formed me in ways I could never have imagined. The values I first encountered as a student had become the very values guiding me today as an educator and volunteer. The seeds planted years ago at Ateneo had quietly grown into a life committed to accompanying others.
What moved me most was that WUJA created a space where the voices of young people were not only welcomed but genuinely heard. As a participant in the Youth Cadre Program, I experienced what it means to be entrusted with responsibility rather than simply invited to observe. It was inspiring to engage with Jesuit alumni from around the world who remain united by the values of Jesuit education and a shared commitment to being persons for and with others.
My heart is deeply grateful—to Ateneo de Davao University and Xavier Learning Community—for believing in me and allowing me to be part of something much bigger than myself.
WUJA reminded me that Jesuit education and formation does not end at graduation. It continues wherever we choose to love, serve, and accompany others. It challenges us to keep asking not, “What can I achieve?” but, “Whom am I called to serve?”
The challenges our world faces today call for collaboration across generations, and I believe that empowering young people to contribute actively to our shared mission will help build a more just, compassionate, and hopeful future.
I left Yogyakarta not with all the answers but with a renewed conviction—to serve on the margins, to keep walking with communities whose voices are often unheard, and to continue becoming an educator who forms not only minds but hearts.
Because if my own life has taught me anything, it is this: the most meaningful paths are rarely the ones we plan for ourselves. They are the ones God patiently leads us toward, one faithful step at a time. I simply need to keep moving toward the mission God has entrusted to me—with hope, gratitude, and a heart always ready to serve.
