BACOLOD City – Krisha Marie Gan Badillo believes giving her best and “relying on God’s help” were keys to her success.
The summa cum laude graduate of the Riverside College ranked No. 1 in the Aug. 11-12 Physical Therapist (PT) Licensure Examination, garnering a rating of 89.05 percent.
A native of La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Badillo was the only examinee from the province and one of two from Visayas who made it to the top 10.
The 21-year-old said she did not aim to top the board exam but her mentors believed she would, what with her excellent performance during the pre-board exams in school and during review.
“I kept in mind that what happens in the present does not always guarantee (the same thing in) the future,” she said. “I found the exam difficult. My capability in answering the questions was purely because of God’s guidance.”
Physical therapy was not her first choice for a college degree, said the salutatorian graduate of Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School. She really wanted to be a nurse like her elder sister Stephanie Joan.
“I didn’t know what Physical Therapy was until a few months before high school graduation. I looked it up and I found it interesting,” she said. Later on she “learned to love and embrace” the course.
Most people in the Philippines do not recognize the importance of physical therapy services, Badillo said. “We (physical therapists) are often regarded as mere masahistas.”
The “hands-on nature” in patient care is the best thing about being a physical therapist, she said. “The feeling that you are instrumental in helping a patient who was once bedridden, unable to stand and eat on his own, take his first steps independently once again and do the things that give meaning to life is incomparable.”
As she is set to take her oath as a Physical Therapist Registered in the Philippines, Badillo prays for discernment on what to do next. “Taking up medicine is a strong option but I would like to practice the physical therapy profession first.”
The results were released on Aug. 15. She stayed at home while waiting – watched a movie, prayed and fell asleep. She later woke up to congratulatory messages flooding her cellphone.
A brownout stalled her first attempt to check the results online. When she eventually saw her name as the topnotcher, she cried and rushed to tell her grandmother, the only other person at home at the time. When her parents Danilo and Jona arrived home, they tearfully celebrated as well.
Badillo spent four months in Cebu City, staying with her aunt and uncle, to review for the board exam.
Reviewing with her best friends made the experience fun despite the challenges, she said. “The review season was actually one of the best learning experiences I had. We got to know ourselves better. We met people who were really passionate in our field. Our faith in God became stronger and we absolutely had fun despite the pressure and stress.”
The rest, they say, is history. (Philippine News Agency/PN)
