Jessie Gabonpa 
“Prepare yourselves as early as possible. Huwag niyo nang hintayin na mangyari ang magiging biggest regret niyo, and after it, doon palang kayo magseseryoso.”
Following his success in the Architect Licensure Examination (ALE), newly licensed Architect Francis William D. Agbon exhorted Samar State University’s architecture students and those who will take the Architect board to make the most of the opportunity.
He highlighted hardwork, persistence, and prayers as keys for achieving success.
“I decided to take that boards, nagkaroon ng downfall kasi easy-easy lang ako ganon, then a month before the exam, doon na ako nagseryoso. Natakot ako baka bumagsak pero ‘yun nga, naniniwala ako na ginawa ko lahat ng kaya ko during exam kaya ako pinalad, and of course prayers talaga is one of the best weapons,” Agbon shared.
“I was being nervous talaga when that result come, lalo na nung lumabas yung name ko. Sobrang hindi ako makapaniwala. Kinabukasan pa [nag-sink in] sa utak ko na ‘Ito na, Architect na ako! Deserve ko ‘to!’,” he added.
The newly licensed architect confessed that he had first been apprehensive about taking the ALE this year as he graduated five years ago.
“[At first], I have doubt pa if it is the right time ba to take the boards, [kasi] it is very long time na since I graduated. [It was] almost 5-year in-preparation since merong 2-year apprenticeship after 5 years in college, then nagkapandemic pa,” Agbon narrated.
Along with his advice for the aspiring architects to seriously take the route toward becoming a licensed architect, Agbon also leaves takeaways about his own journey and emphasized that “success never comes in your comfort zone”.
“There [are] so many imperfections in life but you must embrace it. Until your success comes, you’ll be proud of it,” stressed Agbon.
“Accept ups and downs. Sometimes you refuse to believe in yourself then you want a magical solution, success never comes in your comfort zone,” he added.
Agbon, a BS Architecture graduate in the university’s College of Industrial Technology, is among of the new 1,980 licensed architects who aced the January 2023 ALE.
via Jessie Gabonpa | The Tradesman
