Filipino teenagers continue to impress the world with their knowledge and capabilities from a young age as a 16-year-old student from Al Ain in Abu Dhabi recently topped one of the subjects of the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).
Paula Arissandra Dizon, 11th grader at the Our Own English High School at Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, ranked first at CIE’s ‘English as a second language’ subject.
In an exclusive interview with The Filipino Times, Paula shares that English had been her favorite subject since she was a kid. “Studying it was basically just doing something I loved. Reading a lot of books, of all different genres really helped me to study, and our teachers really worked hard to prepare us for our board exams,” shares Paula.
Share of struggles
However she also shared that the exams weren’t all that easy as she had her share of struggles during the exams’ essay part: “With a set time and word limit, drafting wasn’t an option so I really had to be sure of what I wrote and not mess it up because there was no time for mistakes. I managed to do it by finishing up all the other sections first as quick as I could, which left me with a big chunk of my time for the essays.”
Paula’s mother, Rowena, is still in awe as they couldn’t believe that their daughter really pushed forward towards the top. “Di kami makapaniwala till now. Felt so blessed and proud. We are so proud of you and we are always here to support you. Always remember to put God first in everything you do,” shares Rowena.
The 16-year-old plans to takes it up a notch when she begins her collegiate years in a few years’ time. “I’m planning on pursuing a course on Formal Linguistics! And maybe a minor in psychology, one of the other subjects I really love hehe,” said Paula.
Advice for fellow students
Paula shares that her only secret for students taking similar exams is to avoid stressing out about it. “Don’t stress out too much. Destress once in a while because if you’re studying for 24/7, you really won’t be able to understand what you need to learn. Eat when you’re hungry and rest when you’re tired,” shares Paula.
The CIE topnotcher likewise furthered that she believes that each individual is blessed with their own field where they specialize in – something that doesn’t necessarily equate to grades that most people see on paper: “At the end of the day, our grades don’t really define us. If you struggle academically, that’s completely fine, you may excel in another field such as the arts or music. We students are trying our best naman, and the effort itself is enough.”
