"From Court to Classroom: My Life as a Student-Athlete in Antique" (By: Japs Riola)

My name is Japs Esguerra Riola, 21 years old and born in Dasmariñas, Cavite on May 18, 2003. I had lived and raised in Cavite until I got 5 years old and transferred to my father's province. I studied my nursery years here, but it didn't take long, and my parents decided to move and continue my studies in the province where we are now. I finished my grade school at Talisay Elementary School and Secondary level at Pandan National Vocational High School. And currently we are living at Talisay, Pandan, Antique.

I have been a student athlete since I was in high school till now and I'm part of the UA Red Ants Volleyball Team, I am now a 3rd year college at University of Antique taking Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management. I started playing volleyball when I was in grade 5. One of my very close friends encouraged me to play volleyball even though I don't really have a passion for that sport at first because basketball is what I played before.

When I entered in high school, I was determined to join the try out for school volleyball team. I spent even more time for practicing and improving my skills. It's hard for me to balance my studies since I was a consistent honor student when I was in grade school, have a good record at high school level and graduated with honors even though I've been suffering from skin disease but still manage those challenges. My life changed when I became a varsity player in our school, juggling my schoolwork with daily practices and games and it wasn’t easy. There were times when I stayed up late to finish homework after a long practice or missed out on social events because of tournaments. But i never complained. I knew that this was the path to achieving my dreams. But my hard work paid off when I become part of our school's team the UA Red Ants Volleyball Team. I may not have experienced playing at the highest level during high school, but I was able to experience it in college to play at highest level, competing with different universities representing our school, plays with some best player in the Philippines that I can only see on TV, and playing representing our school but not only the school but the region 6. Some school noticed me and eventually, I received offers from some universities in Manila like the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. But the decision is hard for me so I chose to stay and continue my journey here in Antique and balancing my studies to have still a good record and my volleyball career.

Balancing the issues that sports bring on in school is never simple with everything student-athlete has to do.

This is one of the biggest issues here, time management. Playing football and running track takes up lots of time, so they use that experience to help with their time management on the pitch — while also focusing on their academic work. My journey is a testament to the fact that all it takes for your dreams to come true is passion and determination. As I began with visions of playing volleyball on larger stages, I have been successful in balancing academics and athletics, but it is no easy feat; discipline/focus, sacrifice, and time are all factors of (an) organizational method(s). These hardships — giving up on nights out and events with friends and digging through physical tiredness — have only strengthened my fire to be the best. But now, with me playing in college and representing our school at the national level my dream has finally been realized that hard work does pay off. This journey akin to a rollercoaster ride indicates Dedication goes a long way.

Through my story, it teaches us that with hard work, passion, and a clear vision, even the biggest dreams can come true. I am here to prove that the road to success is built on dedication and perseverance, and I hope that one day, I'll wear the national team jersey with pride, representing not just my school, but everyone who believed in me from the start.