La Voiture est Féminine

“Are you telling me you applied for this without knowing how you’d pay for it??”

Well… yeah, pretty much :’ ) but quite frankly, I didn’t actually think I’d even get in.

As much as that somewhat condescending remark from an admin stung, I truthfully couldn’t blame them. Shooting your shot isn’t really a new concept for me, but I rarely get to see opportunities through. I don’t come from a well off family, but I’ve humbly made the most out of the blessings that He’s thrown my way all throughout my life.

It does take a couple extra hurdles for a dreamer to become an achiever when you’re dealt the same cards as I have, but I’d gladly, shamelessly, and unapologetically go through them if it meant making this whole process easier for the next wide-eyed passionate risk-taker that comes around.

I came across a random HDA one day while mindlessly scrolling through my feed–[OVPERI] INSA Toulouse Exchange Program Fall 2023 Semester, “a chance to experience French culture while studying abroad at one of the top engineering schools in Europe.” It sounded too good to be true. Applying entailed going through a rigorous process close to applying for university the first time around. I had to pass my grades, write an essay, and even go through an interview with DLSU just to be chosen as the school’s representative to actually apply for the program. The moment I got the congratulatory email telling me I somehow actually got in, I felt both incredibly happy and hopelessly anxious.

I just knew I wouldn’t want another chance to hold onto hope to slip through my fingers, so I started a donation drive, contacted all the organizations I thought possible, created meticulous budget trackers leading to my departure, and strived to make the most out of my existing scholarship. I’ve also applied for 1 euro meals in CROUS to save on food, and made my way through the time-consuming process of France social security to spend less on healthcare. I ended up with the Star Scholarship covering all tuition fees for the semester, the donations covering most of my pre-departure necessities, and the DLSU Office of the Provost, the OAS, and the USG OVPEA Glocal Advancement Program covering my airfare, rent, and food. I still can’t help but overflow with gratitude at the mere thought of all these blessings falling upon a gamble for a student to simply bet on herself as well. Truthfully, I’m only here because of all the kind hearts that believed in me enough to remind me that needing help to get there doesn’t make me any less of an achiever.

I may be the shortest in the room—the only woman, the only Asian, the only Filipina, but I know that claiming this seat is bigger than me. It hasn’t been easy studying hard just to study even more, but it’s now 3 months in–I’m attending Masters level classes at 21 years old, learning a new coding language and 2 new Finite Element simulation programs, going through lab work for manufacturing composites and non-destructive testing, as well as designing a Mudry CAP 232 aerobatic aircraft wingbox and a prototype for active thermal control in a CubeSat, right in Europe’s Aerospace Capital, and I just know this is all going to be worth it.

Failing and falling short are merely parts of the long, winding journey, so just keep reaching for the stars. Who knows, maybe they’d even end up aligning just for you.