Remembering Ms. Rosas

We dropped by our high school teacher last Thursday, me and Bes JennyL together with our high school batch mates. It’s not a reunion or get together but we’ve visited the wake of our 3rd year high school adviser Mrs. Elida Rosas who passed away this week. She didn’t survive the pancreas cancer that was diagnosed in her last year. It was a 6-month struggle with the killer sickness enduring many cycles of chemotherapy. I heard that even if it was a painful sickness she died a happy person and fought up to the last of her breath.

Who is Ma’am Rosas to me? Aside from being the prettiest teacher and my adviser on my happiest year in high school she somehow changed a bit of my personality that led me to achieve some of my dreams. I can never forget my first day of 3rd year high when all of a sudden after introducing herself to us she began looking for a certain student who she told us was personally recommended by our last year’s adviser. We were waiting for the student’s name and I was surprised and shy when I heard my name.

From that day on she talked to me a lot, advised and encouraged me into using all my talent and capabilities to reach it to the top. She told me that I failed to reach the honor roll on my 2nd year because I don’t have extra curricular activities and that counts some percentage. She kindly forced me to join various clubs and organizations so I will not lack what is needed for extra curricular grades, I was a bit hesitant but she was very persuasive sometimes admonishing me.

My academic was faring so good then maybe because of too much encouragement on her part. My interests in all my subjects especially those hard ones increased and before I knew it I’ve made it to the top and I know she’s contributed a lot in terms of kind advices and unwavering encouragement. When I climbed the stage on the recognition day she was all smiles and told me that ‘I know you can do it, congratulations’.

Honors and awards are not that important but the way she changed my attitude in reaching for my dreams. Slowly I changed for the better me until I graduated and took the road to a higher level of education, a more confident student this time and more willing to learn everything that came my way. No more inexplicable apprehension, not too shy to face people and can solve any situation that passes by.