'Premature' student

               "How old are you?"

               "Seventeen."

               "Oh. So you must be a college freshman."

               "No. I'm in 3rd year college."

              I always encounter this whenever I meet new people. It's awkward but I'm getting used to it. In fact, seeing the different reactions on their faces was sort of fun.

             Don't get me wrong. I am not a picture of the girl with eyeglasses, braided hair and metals on her teeth. If you also think that I have a brain like Einstein's, again, you're wrong.

              I'm just like the ordinary. I groom and dress up like how girls should be. And like any other students, I also cram, get lazy, feel bored, get low grades in some of my subjects and sometimes fall asleep when facing my books.

               You may now be wondering, what brought me to college at such a young age?

               I could say that it was a combination of luck, effort, and prayers.

              I was accelerated twice; first in kindergarten, then in Grade 5 under the acceleration program of the Tugbok SPED Center. I had a hard time adjusting to my new environment but I eventually coped up as time passed by.

               In high school , my teachers and classmates knew about my age and pampered me like a baby most of the time.

               With the grace of God, I graduated high school as Class Valedictorian at the age of 14.

              You might wonder how I cope with the pressures of college life. Honestly, the first year was hard. I was so young then and lacked two years in terms of knowledge and experiences. As a result, I failed in some subjects.

              To be more persistent on my studies, I decided to apply for a scholarship grant from the Scholarship on Tertiary Education Program (STEP). I was qualified and became an official STEP scholar.

             My plan did not fail. Because of my scholarship which required a grade of at least 85 in each subject, I indeed became very persistent in studying. I really wanted to be retained in this program because of its great benefits. This determination put me in the Dean's List thrice.

            My age even had a lot of advantages. I received many compliments from people who appreciated me for what I had attained despite of being younger than the others.

          Then I started to realize that age was not a hindrance to my studies I'm just like everyone else, struggling to get the best out of life.

               Today, when it comes to the difficulties I encounter as a third year college student, I don't remind myself of my age anymore. After all, it's not age that defines you as a person. It's all about the accomplishment of your dreams and the spirit that takes you there.

               

Living through soap

          

            Business is not about big capital; it’s about taking risks.

            Have you ever heard of Biofresh Soap?

          Biofresh soap is a product made by the OBICHEM Enterprises owned by the Ocbina family. It is a small scale enterprise which specializes mainly on beauty soaps.

          Like most businesses, OBICHEM started from scratch. According to Jacobin Ocbina who is one of OBICHEM’s regional distributors and son of its present owner, his grandfather started the business. In 1995, they started making soaps and liniments in Bukidnon without any machines and with a very little capital.

          In 2005, when ownership was transferred to Jacobin’s father, they decided to focus on just one product and that is Biofresh soap. According to Jacobin, “Focusing on just one product seemed to be the wisest thing to do.”

          Today, aside from Bukidnon, Biofresh is also distributed at some parts of the Philippines. OBICHEM has regional distributors in Davao City, South Cotabato, Caraga Region, and Bukidnon who have the exclusive right to disperse the product in their respective places.

          They also have machines now which aid them in making soaps. However, they still use the traditional handwork sometimes to maximize time. They manufacture their products at Sasa and pack them up at Deca Homes Subdivision, near the Ocbina family’s residence.

          OBICHEM spends fifty pesos on each soap bars and sells five thousand bars every month just in Davao which makes approximately four hundred seventy-five pesos.

          The only problem they have about the business now is the competitors for there are already a lot of soap brands in the Philippines. But they try to be innovative enough to meet the needs and wants of the consumers. Soaps with glutathione are a hit now, so OBICHEM also focused on producing them this year.

          “Aggressiveness and innovativeness keep the business going,” Jacobin proudly said.

          And to all aspiring entrepreneurs out there, here’s a message from Jacobin, “You should not play on the safe side always. Sometimes, taking risks could be healthy.”