In a battle of creativity and wit, the delegate from Eastern Visayas State University-Ormoc Campus, Mary Alexane L. Montesclaros, secured the third spot in the Essay Writing Category during the Literary Arts Competition of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges-8 (PASUC-8) Culture and Arts Festival at the Visayas State University-Main Campus RDE Hall on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
Along with her were nine other participating delegates from Eastern Visayas, whose topic revolves around modern civilization and its impact on nature. Ms. Montesclaros’ piece was focused on reminiscing about the Catholic tradition of Flores de Mayo to honor Virgin Mary and how enthusiasm was slowly fading for it. It was written from the perspective of an advocate who aspires to encourage individuals to comport themselves better toward the environment through a subtly expressed desire of a grownup to recapture the exuberance of May in her youth, a month of spring and rebirth or new beginnings.
In an interview, Ms. Montesclaros humbly said that she did not expect but prayed to win, and eventually her triumph was an answered prayer. “The moment my contestant number was called, it felt surreal because I didn’t really expect it, but I prayed for it, and it was an answered prayer,” she stated.
Additionally, Professor Georgina M. Orbeta, her coach, said that she only gave limited tips and techniques through Messenger on how to write creative non-fiction but was quite confident that Montesclaros could do well in the competition. While Montesclaros was already in the venue, she thoroughly and silently prayed for Montesclaros to write according to the instructions she was giving and finish it with clarity in her thoughts.
Moreover, Prof. Orbeta expressed how proud she was of Shane and showed her appreciation for acknowledging Almighty God as the main reason for the victory they got. “I am really proud and happy for your achievement, Shane. Watching the speeches of the extempo contestants, I could say the SUCs have chosen their best participants. Continue being humble and grateful to where your wisdom and energies come from. I appreciated you more when you acknowledged God as your source of victory! Padayon, Shane,” she said.
Montesclaros is indeed a source of pride for the university.
