A Step Closer

"It's not just a simple handshake. It's "the touch" which inspired me to be what I really wanted to be."

Maria Ressa. Wow, what a big name in the industry of Journalism. Who would have thought that an ordinary 15 year old girl from the province, with simple hopes and dreams to be what she wanted to be, would one day meet an "icon"?

Honestly, deciding to attend Write Tool is a hard process for me. It's a matter of choosing between one of the biggest events in our school, the Association of Benedictine Schools' (ABS) Sports Fest or to pursue what I think is right and best for me. I guess, I chose well.

Seeing her personally, I actually couldn't believe it. Not because I finally met one of my inspirations, but it's that awkward moment when our first encounter happened in the bathroom! Oh my, how I wish I brought my camera or I wore something better. Well, at least, I didn't drop my jaw when she passed behind me… or wait… I did!

Deciding to join Write Tool is great, after all, even if something embarrassing happened, right? All the speakers, especially Miss Ressa, made everything worth it. Her discussion about Social Media and in trying to tap people's wisdom to the crowd is very informative, in a way that it's also interactive. I wasn't bored a bit. And the mere fact that she spared some of her precious time just to have a talk to aspiring young journalists is already fulfilling.

As they say, it takes only five letters to define who you are, and these are your W.O.R.D.S. Indeed, this is true. Just watching and listening to her speak already shows how she was brought up and how much she grew working on this industry. It makes me want to be like her. Humble, but not gullible.

By the end of her discussion, the only thing that processed in to my mind is "Run, Nichole, Run!" Yeah, weird. But what's the sense of being weird when I finally got what I needed---her touch. It's not just a simple handshake, it is that thing which really inspired me to be what I really wanted to be, a journalist.

This is not an experience of a lifetime, it is an experience that has to be kept and remembered always.

I guess, it is right to say that I am now a step closer to my future, to what would become of me.