It started with a list
There was a time in my life when bucket lists were a thing.
In 2011, while I was still a first-year college student, filled with hopes and dreams of what I could become, I wrote a list. And in that list, you can read about the things I want to achieve before I die (without any regard for the hows), including getting a Ph.D. But then I learned I couldn’t pursue a Ph.D. without first obtaining a master’s degree, so I included an M.S. in the list.
Why do I want to pursue a Ph.D.? Because I was so convinced by this narrative that I had been telling myself since 2006, after watching An Inconvenient Truth, that I wanted to be part of the climate action as an academic. And I thought that to have a voice in the climate action space, I needed to get a Ph.D. degree.
I told myself that I would take care of the implementation later; I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
The story I told myself
I was convinced of my potential because the people around me kept telling me, “You can go far in life.”
But what does going far in life really mean, and what does it look like?
How can I help create change if I can’t even find a community I could be part of?
Do you know what people say about having the right connections and the value of networking to get ahead in life? Well, I learned how right it is, but also that connections aren’t everything. People can only help you so far in life (and from my Christian experience, the Lord’s favor can move mountains and touch the hearts of men), and if you did not prepare for the opportunity, you’d likely miss it.
The first professional network I had was the one from university. All my peers helped me imagine a future where I could thrive. But because we were in the same boat (meaning we all wanted to be part of the workforce and were unsure where to start), we went our own ways to keep ourselves afloat, separately. Well, I was the only one at the time who totally diverged from my group, because while most of my friends wanted to work immediately after getting their license, I was animated by the list I wrote and was hyper-focused on getting a master’s degree and taking it as a full-time student.
My socioeconomic status kept me from imagining better futures
After graduating from college in 2016, I began to panic internally because I had to figure out the details of my plan. I had to figure out how to get myself into graduate school through a scholarship (because, given my economic standing, it’s the only way to get into grad school at 22 without begging).
Although my initial intention was to pursue a master’s degree to become a Ph.D. holder, the idea felt too far-fetched and unreachable. My socioeconomic status also kept me from imagining better futures, so I drew back from the dream and settled on getting a master’s degree (at least for now) and then getting a job after. Reality started to sink in after graduating from college that I had to meet my physiological needs without depending on my family. Who wants to be a burden when you are able?
So, I started telling myself a different story.
From wanting to pursue a master’s degree as a prerequisite for Ph.D. studies, I convinced myself that I needed to enroll in a master’s program to expand my circle of influence within the climate action space.
I kept telling myself that getting my electrical engineering degree was only the beginning—my ticket to access a broader network of people whose careers revolved around addressing climate change. And I know, at that moment, that I wasn’t surrounded by those kinds of people yet. Aside from being a woman in engineering, which is considered a minority, I also thought that taking a master’s would at least give me a different set of skills than my peers. Therefore, I wouldn’t have to compete in the same professional market as they do.
But here’s the catch. I know the dream (where to go next to become the kind of person I want to be), but it takes money to get there—a lot of money. And because I am from a low-middle-income family (fatherless, which is already an economic disadvantage), here’s where the dream of becoming something more began to chip away even further. My college instructor was too general about the opportunities for women in engineering like me, and he could only tell me to look out for them on my own. It felt like I was told about what’s possible, but was never given a map on how to get there. Isn’t it the same feeling I had after graduation? So, I walked through thick mud and wondered how to access these seemingly ambiguous opportunities.
I was already part of a national scholarship during my undergrad. And because I lacked the resources to learn what else is out there, I applied for the graduate studies scholarship at the same institution after becoming a registered electrical engineer (with only fundamental theories and an ID to support, but without substantial work experience). One requirement was to develop a research proposal to assess an applicant’s research skills, and I was at a loss for ideas.
Convinced that somebody somewhere could help me but I just didn’t know who and where to get the help I needed, I sought the Lord’s guidance through incessant prayers. It was a cry for help. Then, lo and behold, I had a dream during a sleepover at my college friend’s house. It was a peculiar and specific dream where a disembodied voice told me to ask my college classmate (who I saw standing and looking at me, as if waiting for me to talk to him in the dream) and ask him about what I’ve been praying for: a research topic. So I woke up from that dream with a slight resistance because of how weird it felt, but at the same time, since dreaming all sorts of “beyond human wisdom” wasn’t totally new to me, I thought about acting on it once I got home.
When I finally had the time to call my college classmate and ask him for recommendations on research ideas I could explore, he referred me to our college instructor, who had helped him get his job, and said that our instructor could enlighten me more about other energy resource topics beyond hydropower (which was related to his current employment).
So I thought, well, at least my dream helped me start somewhere.
Then I sent our college instructor a message, and he asked if I was available for a call, and I was, so we did. What was interesting about our conversation was that he was unable to tell me specific research ideas I could pursue (although he gave me some advice about the essence of reading a lot when taking a master’s), he referred and connected me to his student from six years ago, who was working in a government agency, specifically on energy resource applications in Mindanao.
So now, I had already reached the third level of network referral: from my dream to my college friend, from my college friend to my college instructor, and then finally from my college instructor to his student who graduated six years ahead of me (and about the same age as my sister).
The final link in the chain came when I visited my senior, who was elated and supportive of my career plan: to pursue my master’s degree after getting my license as a Registered Electrical Engineer. However, he proposed that I could hit two birds with one stone: dig deeper into his seed idea, which I could turn into a research proposal, while leveraging the connections I could gain from being employed on his team. He said it would be good for me to gain work experience before returning to a full-time study path for two years, which was still eight months away at the time.
I actually liked his idea. Why not, right? And it was even interesting how it seemed like a coincidence to be in his office (right place) while he was also looking for fresh grads to join his team (right time) under the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee at the Mindanao Development Authority (a government agency).
With things seemingly aligning like puzzle pieces, I prepared the job prerequisites and applied. I cannot remember how long I had waited to be scheduled for an interview (which agonizingly felt long), but I can recall how the interview experience felt. Lined up with other interviewees and dressed up for the occasion, I convinced myself that I would get what I am ready for. I was nervous, yes, but I tried to enjoy myself with the experience while waiting for my turn to be called.
As my first job interview, I had only virtual preparation (mind you, this was when all we had were blogs and YouTube videos, not AI chat) on what to expect. And somehow, reading countless blogs about preparing for a work interview paid off, even though I already knew how to conduct myself in impromptu speaking. The thing I remember most is when I was asked what I am most excited about in the job, and I answered that it might open up an opportunity to visit Tawi-Tawi.
Start of something new
Credentials can open doors.
So can your network.
And family support.
Most of all, divine intervention—God’s helping hand.
A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.
Proverbs 16:9 AMP
Timing also plays a part, especially when you sharpened yourself while waiting for an opportunity.
Because when an opportunity opened and you’re not ready, you’d most likely miss the window. And it might not open again, or probably it will, but you have to wait for it to open again, who knows for how long.
The hands that held the door for me
There’s no such thing as self-made.
I couldn’t count the number of people who have helped shape who I am today. Still, all the people I have met have broadened my perspective on life and opened my eyes to possibilities I could not have imagined. However, my life’s trajectory began with my mother, who nurtured me from childhood to maturity and independence.
If she hadn’t been permissive about my participation in regional competitions while I was in grade school, I might not have developed self-confidence. If not for teachers believing in my capacity to speak in front of a crowd, to write for an audience, and to lead others, I would have been unable to hone my skills in writing, speaking, and leadership.
If Mama Belen had not been proactive with scholarship inquiries, specifically the Department of Science and Technology undergraduate scholarship, my life would have turned out differently. If she hadn’t connected me with a previous student from the University of the Philippines Diliman to secure a slot for university housing, at least as a transient while I was working on my enrolment, I would have had a rough start as a stranger in the metro. If my auntie Vivian and uncle Jonas had not moved to Manila a year before my master’s program started, the lack of family in the metro would have made the adjustment lonely and difficult.
If Mama Belen had not listened to my rants about losing hope of graduating from my master’s on time—and at the cost of my scholarship—I would have had no reason to give my research one last try. If my thesis adviser, Dr. Michael Pedrasa, had not taken a chance on me, I would have been unable to defend my thesis for finals. If my thesis co-adviser, Dr. Joselito Magadia, had not stood by my research, my final defense would have had a different outcome.
If my thesis adviser had not pushed me to improve my academic presentations and had not shared the opportunity to present my research at an international conference abroad with me, I would have missed the experience of flying solo to Perth, Australia, and presenting my paper for the first time to an international audience.
People whom I have met along my journey, with whom I also became friends, connected me to opportunities I would otherwise not have discovered on my own. . .
Like getting my first job after my master’s in 2019, because my classmate and friend Joshua Miguel Lopez recommended me for the job.
Like getting a consultancy work in 2020 through Jose “Viking” Logarta, whom I had met and worked with during my first job right after college (and this consultancy job was during the pandemic). He eventually became a family friend.
While the pandemic allowed us to see what truly mattered to us, I decided to leave my 2019 job by the end of December 2020 to pursue a research role. But because of the pandemic, getting a job was actually a challenge, which made me question the choices I had made. However, I thought about how hard decisions must be made if I wanted something to change. Being out of the traditional 8-5 workforce gave me time to know myself better, while taking care of our goat Dolly who helped me remain sane through this major life transition—from being subjected through tremendous pressure starting college to masters to having a job . . . and then having to decide what to do every day because I don’t have a class or job to go to anymore. Dolly gave me a daily routine and allowed me to honor rest.
Then another classmate and friend from my master’s program, Ralph Justice, pointed me to a research job opportunity in 2021. I ended up filling a vacant role, replacing our classmate Xaviery, who transferred to an industry job. (Segue: Most academic research jobs in the Philippines are on a contract basis, so tenure is a dream, unless you want to pursue managerial roles in research instead.)
Then, another classmate and friend, Ian Benitez, recommended that I apply to their job opening in 2022, as I was actively seeking a job before my previous research project contract ended. Their project leader interviewed me for the role and I felt like I’d have a good time working with his team. But I never really got the job because they needed the role filled in February, and I wouldn’t be available until April.
I really wanted a job after April, even desperate not to experience joblessness again. I remembered the DOST Career Incentive Program (DOST-CIP), which we have been talking about a lot during our master’s. My churchmate, Dr. John Carlo Malabad, who was also a CIP Fellow, encouraged me to explore the program. And because of my desperation to get a job, I thought the CIP route was a way to ensure I got hired soon.
After some paperwork and gentle follow-ups, I got accepted into the DOST Career Incentive Program, but without a host institution. The agency said that I would only get a contract once a host institution requested me. I remembered Dr. John Carlo telling me that there is also a workaround to this matching process. If I know an institution in need of a researcher like me, I can coordinate with them and tell them they can request my services through the CIP program.
And that’s what I did!
So, I told Ian that I got into the DOST-CIP and asked him if their project leader would be willing to host me, especially since the project doesn’t have to pay for my services, since the fund would be coming from the Department of Science and Technology—their research project really doesn’t have the budget to hire another person. And he was totally supportive of it, reaching out to their project leader, Dr. Jeark Principe, and getting the yes I’ve been hoping for.
And so I ended up working for the project for two years, specifically on solar photovoltaic power forecasting, and another year under the same project leader, working on agrivoltaics research. The DOST-CIP contract lasted for three years.
Then I’m back to just being me again mid-year 2025. I still had occasional freelance tasks, which gave me something to work on weekly, but having no affiliation really set me on edge. I was starting to feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty about what’s next for me, especially after receiving multiple rejections for jobs I applied for. I was back to another life transition, which I thought I’d already gotten used to by now, but not. My cousin Nikka encouraged me to go back to crocheting, which gave me another project to focus on while figuring out what’s next.
What’s interesting about this period is that I remembered how, earlier in 2025, when my brother-in-law Bryan stayed with us in Quezon City for a few days, he told me he found my list while they were cleaning my bedroom at home. “What list?” And he reminded me of what I wrote, which included “Get a Ph.D.” and “Go out fishing.” He said he brought it up because he wanted to invite me fishing, since they’ve been at it with Ate Rem, my sister, and how much fun their experience was.
But I was stuck in the “Get a Ph.D.” After 14 years of writing a bucket list, the things I wrote came back haunting me again. Or maybe reminding me of the things I want to become. And so I ended up spending the rest of my 2025 looking and applying for a Ph.D. program.
[This part of my life had its happy and sad parts, which I would gladly talk more in the following section.]And like how Joshua Miguel, the same classmate who helped me get a job in 2019, invited me to join another consultancy in 2026, which gave me practical experience in science by gathering data from energy-poor communities for our project assessment on solar home systems. I’d like to believe this work gave me a sense of what I would like to do in my Ph.D. research.
I’m back on my list
“Get a Ph.D.”
It took me 14 years to act on what I hoped to become, because I probably got lost living life. And life in the Philippines is hard especially when you are not born with privilege.
The list came back to me through the most ordinary, sideways door. In a time when I was overwhelmed by the looming end of my DOST-CIP contract and mourning over five job applications I’ve been rejected from. The list found me while I was back in that familiar, uncomfortable place, another life transition where I was wholly uncertain about what’s next, constantly on the edge, thinking I am a failure—an embodiment of a missed potential.
The list did not return when things were going well for me.
It returned when I needed it the most.
I had written the bucket list at 16 without knowing the hows. And here I am at 31 (at the time of writing this part), having done the master’s, having done the research work, having lived through life transitions, and that line on that list was still unfinished. Reading it again after 14 years felt like welcoming back a friend. I could remember all the times I thought about taking a Ph.D., even in 2022, when things were still starting to get back into motion since the pandemic. But even then, I never felt ready.
Taking Ph.D. studies became easier to imagine, entertain, and consider becoming possible in 2025. The list confirmed it. My husband, who was nudging me from time to time—where he kept nagging me about how taking a Ph.D. should be my next course of action after my DOST-CIP contract ends—validated it.
And so, I’ve spent most of 2025 exploring Ph.D. opportunities, considering only universities that offer scholarships. My husband was clear that this should be a non-negotiable because our resources were limited. While my husband has been proposing since 2022 that I explore Canadian universities when I consider a Ph.D., I have been insistent that I’d like to explore studying in New Zealand (NZ) instead, after comparing the two countries specifically on which one would be worse off when climate change gets really bad. I was probably reading about heat waves that year, which fixated me to choosing NZ only, end of discussion. So when I was finally considering taking a Ph.D., my husband was just being supportive with me finally doing something about it, but not fully convinced about my choice of country, especially with how the NZ economy was playing out that year.
I attended study fairs for NZ between April and June of 2025, both online and in person, eager to convince my husband that my choice of country was the way forward. Through the supervision of Dr. Jeark Principe, I was inspired to study agrivoltaics during my DOST-CIP employment and pursue the same topic for my dissertation. While I was looking for a potential supervisor, I found Dr. Alan Brent who had already worked on agrivoltaics research in NZ, which eventually led me to reconnect with my friend Rapha who have been a supervisee while he was studying at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). The reconnection deemed fruitful, because a day after I emailed Dr. Brent, I received his response telling me that he is “keen to supervise PhDs in the agrivoltaics space.”
That simple email gave me a boost of encouragement, offering a hope that taking a Ph.D. is possible and achievable. Building on that response, I started working on my application in July 2025, giving me a five-month head start before the November 1 deadline. I worked on my research proposal, which required me to read many papers to help me shape and add substance to my research idea. While I was in motion, it felt like I was on the right track. I was even excited about the prospect of exploring New Zealand, which was why I finished crocheting a sunflower cardigan in less than a month, planning to wear it during the fall once I’d become a student at VUW. Having something to look forward to surely lifts a dreary soul.
However, months of watching Herald NOW made the future look dreary. My husband also kept tracking the employment opportunities in NZ, but even that seemed bleak. There seemed to be a dark cloud hovering over us while I was working through my application, but we pushed for it anyway. And that also meant we had to end our apartment lease, pack up all the stuff we had accumulated in the first two years of our marriage, move out, and go back to our families (our childhood homes are just 11 minutes apart). The NZ preparation was careful and deliberate, I should say. It took many months of going back and forth on the considerations until my husband and I reached a decision.
We arrived home on December 1, anticipating waking up the next day to the news that would change our lives forever. Was our decision to leave the metro the right decision? Was my husband’s decision to leave his job the right thing to do just so he could start anew with me as I walk towards my dream of pursuing a Ph.D. in a new country? If I weren’t exhausted from the flight, I wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. But I did. Still, I woke up early, around 5 in the morning, to a buzz on my watch. After seeing a “VUW” in the notification, I jumped out of bed without my husband noticing, flew to my laptop, and went through my email in the darkness.
Dear Jessa
This email is to advise that we have now assessed your application for admission to Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and regret to advise that you have been unsuccessful.
Oh. My. God.
I wanted New Zealand. And the only university I applied to with potential scholarship rejected me. How overly confident of me.
Please note the number of places and scholarships available is limited and highly competitive. This decision has been made by the academic selection panel in the school and faculty relevant to your discipline.
This decision is final and will not be reviewed.
We wish you all the best with your future endeavours.
Kind regards,
Scholarships and Doctoral Admissions Office
Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
I couldn’t bring myself to wake my husband and tell him the news we’ve been waiting for, though not the kind we’d hoped for. So, while trying to let the news sink in, I sank back into sleep.
Actually, I found it hard to fall back asleep. So I didn’t. I was playing out in my head all the ways I could break the news while watching my husband peacefully sleeping beside me. How would he take the news? I even considered not telling my husband until later in the day, but I was sure I couldn’t fake being my usual self throughout the rest of the day. And what would I tell him if he asked me whether I had heard anything from VUW?
So I told him about it when he woke up. How are we going to tell our parents? What now that you resigned from work? Can we pivot to not taking a Ph.D. instead?
I reached out to Dr. Brent and let him know that I did not get the offer. While he encouraged me to apply for next year through the Manaaki Scholarship, my husband told me that next year is too far away to anchor the trajectory of our future; he’d like to decide this year. And so, we kept the news to ourselves, thinking it’s for the best, my husband letting me grieve.
I was all sour and gloomy, with no headspace to think about the next step. Hope has left me. But on the other side of the rejection, my husband saw it as an opportunity to finally explore Canadian universities, which I didn’t do last year. I was finally letting him drive the whole thing, while I sat in the backseat, shaken, and immersed myself in everything but looking for another Ph.D. opportunity (with non-negotiable Ph.D. funding). What was even more surprising was that, while I was still recovering from the rejection and retelling myself another story, my husband went straight to work that day (December 2). He was the one searching universities, exploring options, and encouraging me to apply to them. I was half-hearted while reading program descriptions and details about potential supervisors he sent my way—I simply cannot think well while having a pity party about being unworthy of anything. But my husband was adamant and carried the hope for me. I think I was at my lowest that week, but my husband kept telling me he believed in my potential and would not give up on me. And he didn’t.
It was December 3 when my husband found Dr. Joshua Pearce’s call for PhD students at FAST Lab. When he brought it to me, there was a moment of recognition as I looked at it, and I knew the name. He found a stranger, but I had already been in conversation with this stranger’s work. I told him I’d been reading Dr. Pearce’s work since 2024 and had cited some of it in my agrivoltaics research, which further encouraged him to consider applying. He studied the application process, helped me go through the steps by assigning me manageable tasks to help my recovering soul: (1) create an Appropedia Page as indicated in the FAST application process, (2) update curriculum vitae and prepare other academic documentation, and (3) send Dr. Pearce an email to express interest, with all requirements included.
I don’t think I’m qualified.
While he tried to be patient with my inaction, he kept hovering over me like a supervisor. I eventually created my Appropedia page by December 5 and emailed Dr. Pearce by December 8. After sending my email, it felt like I was in a make-or-break moment of my life. I told myself I would take a month off if it were another bust and realign by next year.
But then, a quiet miracle happened the following day.
Hi Jessa
Very interesting work!
You have some skills that we have been looking for ************* would like to talk – please send your availability between 930-6pm EST Friday.
Thank you,
Dr. J. Pearce
I could remember how my husband leaped for joy when we read that email on the evening of December 9. Would you believe that? Dr. Pearce, who ranks in the top 0.1% in Academia, saw your potential, as I did!
From sadness, I slowly shifted back into work mode, feeling the same drive I always feel when I want to accomplish something. I prepared for my online meeting with Dr. Pearce by reviewing all available materials I could read, watch, and explore about him and the work they do at FAST, so I could get a feel for what to expect during our interview.
Surprisingly, talking with Dr. Pearce that evening of December 12 was like a confirmation that a door had opened. Because while I expected the interview would be more about evaluating me, if I have what it takes to be his student, he gave me a laundry list instead of all the things I could do to further the agrivoltaics research they’re already doing in the FAST lab. After the interview ended, I couldn’t believe how things turned out, and I pondered how my husband held this door for me.
So, December became a sprint. With a new supervisor, a new country, and a new program, I had to gather academic references, prepare and take a language test, and submit my university application within three weeks. Over the holidays, and right after a rejection. But being back in motion made me realize we’re not finished with the Ph.D. journey yet.
Everything happened so fast after my application to the University of Western Ontario. My husband and I went through the first quarter of 2026 in a state of tension, between the dream feeling close and the outcome still uncertain.
- January 28 – Dr. Pearce nominated me for the Canada Impact+ Research Training Award (CIRTA) at the program level
- February 6 – My CIRTA application was submitted to the university level
- February 6 – I received a confirmation email from the ECE program that my “application exceeds the minimum criteria for consideration of admission.”
- March 3 – My CIRTA application got selected to move forward to the national competition
- March 5 – The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies gave me an additional award funding of $5000 in addition to the CIRTA to celebrate my accomplishment
- April 2 (12:35 am PHT) – I received the CIRTA offer 🎉
- April 21 – I formally accepted the CIRTA award
- April 23 – I received my Letter of Acceptance from Western University
- June 2 — I lodged my visa application (DIY)
- June 15 — My application to study in Canada was approved 🎉🇨🇦🍁
I wanted New Zealand. My husband wanted Canada. And somehow, in the space between our two wants, God had already written the answer.
I pursued my preference first, carefully and deliberately, for almost a year. And it closed. And then, almost reluctantly, I turned toward what my husband had been hoping for all along. And that door didn’t just open. It flew open, with a national award attached.
It was Proverbs 16:9 lived out in real time: “A man’s mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” This verse was true about my early career. And now here I am, living it again, one decade later, at a much higher stakes moment.
And the beautiful, almost tender detail is how my husband’s dream and God’s plan turned out to be the same thing. Kenneth Daniel didn’t want Canada for himself alone. He was, perhaps without knowing it, holding the door open for me.
Turning the page filled with gratitude
I started writing this blog post in April 2025, initially about professional development and the idea that preparation meets opportunity. But as I began writing in detail about the DOST scholarship, the master’s degree, agrivoltaics research, and the network chain, I realized I wanted to write about a dream that survived 15 years of detours, economic constraints, rejections, and transitions. About the hands that held me up when I couldn’t hold myself. About my husband, who never gave up, even when I had already lost hope. About a list found in my childhood home that came back to find me.
If not for Dr. Jeark Principe, who guided me toward agrivoltaics research, I might not have followed the research path Dr. Joshua Pearce, my PhD supervisor, is on. And if not for Dr. Pearce nominating me for CIRTA, I wouldn’t have had a chance to be considered for the government-funded doctoral award.
If not for the love and support of my husband’s parents (Mama Lilian and Daddy Henry) and my Mama Belen, my husband and I would really find it financially and emotionally challenging to start our lives in a new country. And I won’t take credit away from our relatives who extended extreme generosity and love (Mama Becca & Daddy Rick, Mama Tessa and Uncle Peter, Mama Ampin and Uncle Nathan, Kuya Wishing & Vanessa, and Ate Rem & Kuya Bryan, Daddy Choy, and Mama Tessie), whose material and financial gifts gave us a head start. Ate Judith’s extreme acts of service (as well as Angela’s and Kuya Budok’s) also made our waiting period bearable and memorable.
So, after sitting in drafts for more than a year, I’m finally able to write here about how this blog post ends and how my Ph.D. journey begins.
Hello Ph.D.
I still couldn’t believe how things eventually turned out, but telling this story to families and closest friends at gatherings helped me make the abstract real, especially when we were still working on our visa application.
I experienced how powerful stories are, especially the ones we tell ourselves. And so I want to share my story with you too, hoping to inspire you not to give up on your dream, even when you feel like it’s taking so long to come true or that giving up is the only option.
Some dreams are like hardwood; they grow slowly. “How will I get that Ph.D. degree?” asked my 16-year-old self, who surely found it hard to imagine. At 32, 15 years later, now I know how, Jessa.
Now I can see, looking back, that God’s hand is working in the background, most of the time unannounced but always accomplishing and providing, even in times—especially in times—when things don’t make sense to me anymore.
Now, all that remains is to finish my Ph.D. studies and earn the degree.
As I finally put this essay to a close after a year’s worth of writing, I want to dedicate this to all the hands that held the door for me, even those I wasn’t able to mention here who extended help without waiting to be asked or asked anything in return, who never tired of listening to my life updates and asking me how I’m doing (you know who you are), as well as those who added color to my life and kept me sane in this crazy world. Thank you.
I wouldn’t have come this far without all of you.
You all helped me become the contribution I am capable of being.
