Kert Andrei Busadre

Blessed week ahead!

This week’s featured student is Kert Adrei Busadre, he is 20 years old, he is a 2nd year Occupational Therapy student, and he belongs to the 4th batch of Occupational Therapy students of Liceo de Cagayan University.

Before we completely get to know more of Kert’s personal and student life, let us ease the evident curiosity as to why Kert has chosen this course for college, according to him, it was not his choice of course as he had only two in mind since he was still a child: Nursing and

Veterinary Medicine. When he graduated senior high school, it was then he realized that he had a lot of choices. He mentions that he has two reasons for choosing Occupational Therapy. One, he wants to be practical. We're talking about the possibilities of working abroad and earning a high salary here. Two, it was a recommendation of a person he looks up to. In those honest statements alone, it shows how Kert’s knowledge and commitment to the program are straight to the point yet solid. Although his reasons are rather untypical, he also mentioned that he had always wanted to help people that are in desperate need, especially kids and adults with both physical disabilities and mental health illnesses. He also added, “With this cruel and unfair world we live in, I think having this job someday would somehow bring a smile to those people who are treated unfairly and differently.”

Since Kert is the first Occupational Therapy student to be interviewed, he was asked to explain his understanding of what the program he is currently enrolled in is. In his honest response, he finds it difficult sometimes to explain what Occupational Therapy is to his friends and relatives whenever they, too, ask him the same question. He would always give them the best and the shortest answer he could think of, “It’s all about helping special and unique people.” and he then gets into the more medical and practical aspects of Occupational Therapy, which is to help people participate in things they want and need to do through activities of daily living that can lead to their independence.

Kert considers himself not only a diligent student, but also a gamer, a cook, a bookworm, a Netflix enthusiast, an anime fan, and of course a sleepyhead. So, how does Kert balance his life as an OT student and as a normal 20-year-old with many hobbies? He discloses that with the pandemic going on and he’s just at home, there are only limited things that he can do. With all the hobbies that he has, he uses them as coping mechanisms to avoid stress and depression because with the situation he is in, it sometimes suffocates him. With the pressure of online classes, the fact that he can't always see his friends, and the reality of not being able to have fun in school and in public are all too much for his extroverted personality. He also has another method of balancing his schoolwork and hobbies, I quote, “With this cruel and unfair world we live in, I think having this job someday would somehow bring a smile to those people who are treated unfairly and differently.”

There are a lot of what ifs in this world figuratively, so this choice of what if given to him is a scenario of, “What if face-to-face classes happen, what is something you wish to do?”. He expressed, “A lot actually. This pandemic took away the college life I was looking forward to. Move to another city that’s miles and miles away from home, meet new friends, have my own space, run for an SBO position, and basically just enjoy my college life.” He then added, “I just hope this pandemic would end soon so that everyone would get to experience what a real college is, just like how it should be.”

It is known to everyone that college is one of the most memorable years of one’s life, that life in college may either be in bliss or in misery. Unfortunately, he is one of the many students who didn’t get to experience face-to-face classes as he was just a newbie college kid when the pandemic started, and classes were then shifted online. Shifting from the traditional type of teaching-learning experience to a new one can sometimes be overwhelming to some, and for Kert, it is something to be hopeful for.

Lastly, to keep his spirit going, he holds on to this saying by Mahatma Gandhi which states, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This saying is by far what he has carried ever since junior high school. Growing up, proving people who looked down on him wrong is something he has always wanted to do. “I was slapped with reality at a very young age. I saw how unfair the world can be, I wanted equality and respect. And one way to achieve this is by being the influence.”

As he ends his story, he let out this inspiring message for everyone to ponder upon – “Be good, respectful, and especially successful. Show the people around you that this world doesn’t have to be unfair, be a good role model. And if you think your progress of doing so seems to be slow and that you’re not doing enough, remember that even small steps can lead to big results.”

Writer: Nicole Mae G. Contreras, CRS Caption Writer