By Fionna Canales || Illustration by Mavi Hipe

From the playful sparring sessions with her brother to bearing the country’s name on her back in the Olympics, Aira has always been driven by a passion for boxing. While just a few kilometers away, a young student with a little history hobby finds his passion for medicine and applies to Pisay, unknowing of the future it holds and the bravery it’d take to conquer it.

Taking deep breaths, the Filipina boxer pranced down the walkway with confidence in each bound, her name echoing throughout the stadium as she approached the ring to meet her opponent, steeling herself for what is to come. The whistle blew and the bout started. The two exchanged powerful blows going back and forth, without a moment to blink. Though, even with their all-out efforts, only one could be declared the winner. As the match concluded and the referee clasped onto both their hands, Aira’s was not the one raised in the end.

Taking deep breaths, the Pisay scholar hesitantly flipped open his laptop with eyes locked onto the clock ticking ever-closer to 7:30, his name echoing from the speaker as the teacher started to record the session’s attendance. As he braced himself for yet another week’s classes under lockdown, that distinctive ping and the appearance of that all-too-familiar hook graphic signified that the weekend couldn’t have gone by any quicker.

He was now a 12th grader, and despite it being his graduating year, he felt far from ready. Often, he would find himself doing anything, anything at all, but listening to the droning discussions on Meet. Even getting out of bed in the morning to start the day felt like a chore. The stress, the schoolwork, and his dog’s passing were just too much for one teenage student stuck at home to handle. It was as if the scholarly flame in him had been reduced to a mere sputter.

“Not winning the gold was a blessing in disguise.”

Despite having lost her ticket to the gold-medal match in the Olympics, no defeat could deter the boxer’s unwavering commitment and passion for the sport she oh-so loved. The layered medallion glinting in the spotlight alongside her bright smile, while not the ultimate prize, served as a powerful reminder of how far she’s come and what she has yet to achieve.

Despite having lost his academic ferver which got him throughout the crests and troughs of 11th grade, after minutes turned to hours turned to days and even months, the student got up. He simply knew that he had to get the ball rolling. A return to normalcy and a good talk with his friends were just what he needed to keep himself sane. Even though he hadn’t quite fully put himself back together, he was graduating, and the scholar needed to make every waking moment of that year count. He had already gone through so much and college was barrelling towards him no matter what he chose. No way he’d let himself stop now.

“Seeing my brother’s trophies and knowing he became a scholar without needing our parents’ support inspired me to achieve the same.”

She was only nine when she first fell in love with the sport. Her brother, who brought her behind the curtains and showed her a whole new world, lit an inferno within her, and along with her family, served as her support system throughout her years in a career many see as hopeless. Knowing her family always had her back, and with a few matches up her sleeve, she slowly but surely worked her way up the boxing ladder from her quaint barangay all the way to the very pinnacle of competition. With all that she built up for herself alongside the family which brought her to this point, Aira knew that boxing was not just her hobby, not just an ordinary passion, but her purpose in life.

He was in 11th grade when he first fell in love with MUN. His mentors in Model United Nations, who took his passion for history and diplomacy and enlightened him with experiences and fun which he could only have dreamt of, lit a fuse destined to explode, and along with his friends, served as his support system throughout his graduating year which he found to be hopeless. After each argument over trade, each resolution passed, and each improvised speech, with all the late-night Discord calls with his friends, he had found his passion and eventually regained his purpose.

“The goal is to get that gold.”

Taking deep breaths, Aira stepped up the podium with confidence, her name echoing throughout each voice cheering for her. The bronze medal clutched in her hand reminding her of the story which brought her here. Her family was watching her from home, some even from the sidelines, and with them she had discovered who she was and got through each tough loss through them.

Taking deep breaths, the Pisay student stepped up the stage with pride, his name echoing throughout the gym listing out all that he had accomplished. The diploma clutched in his hand reminding him of the story which brought him here. His friends were just below, in their own togas, watching him wrap up his time in Pisay, and with them he had discovered more of who he was and got through each hardship of the year with them.

“It’s really okay to feel like you lack something.”

Through their tough times, whether it was Aira facing defeat in an Olympic match or the scholar grappling with a loss of motivation, the passion they find with their family and friends brings new light into their lives which previously wasn’t there.

The olympian and the scholar lead different lives. Tell different tales. Look forward to different hopes. Yet, even if their flame flickered and seemed to wane, through their own tenacity and the support they sought from those around them, the two eventually found their passion and rediscovered their light – a fire that would never burn out.