A Remarkable Tekno: Reyjohn Lorca

A Remarkable Tekno: Reyjohn Lorca
by Elijohn S. Alcaraz

Of the many definitions I found online of the word remarkable, one struck me as the most fitting for this certain tekno I’ll very soon introduce - although I’m certain almost everyone knows him already. Remarkable was defined as: a state of being striking or extraordinary. My friends, Mr. Rey John Lorca, a graduate of B.S. Architecture, Batch 2009.
What made Lorca remarkable is not only did he bring honor to our College, but he brought honor to the entire University as well. He did so by becoming one of the Top Outstanding Student of the Philippines (TOSP), Region 6, Batch 2009. And to become one is not at all easy. As a matter of fact, of the hundred plus years existence of our university, only four yet has been able to qualify as a TOSPian, with Lorca as the latest. His three predecessors were Mr. Jigger Latoza, Mr. Eric Divinagracia, and Mr. Johnny Esmilla – all of which are equally remarkable.
But Lorca didn’t purposely aim for TOSP when he got into college; actually, he had no idea about it. He simply did his duty as a student, and may I add he did it with excellence. He was a consistent dean’s lister, and in no time, he rapidly became recognized as a student leader. Lorca joined various organizations and became active in them. He went up the ranks, and was soon juggling both academics and extra-curricular activities. A few of such organizations he joined were the USA Rotaract Club, ATELIER, and USA Badminton Club, all three of which he became its president. He was also a USA Student Council officer, and of course – our very own EACO. These are just some of the many organizations he joined, and with these he was molded and trained, to become and achieve what he has now. So what exactly are the requirements needed to become one of the Top Outstanding Student of the Philippines?
First, and the very basic, one has to be nominated by the University. Of course, the University was more than happy to nominate Lorca as he was very productive and contributed much to the University. Second, one has to have exemplary performance in three categories: Academics, Leadership, and Social Responsibilities. To be able to have an exemplary performance at academics, one’s GPA must be at least 1.5 or 90. And this comprised 30% of the criteria – oh yes, it had a criteria. For leadership category (30%), every extra-curricular and co-curricular activity including leadership trainings fall here. As for the third – Social Responsibility (30%), one is asked: “What sort of impact have you affected on your society?” One’s contributions and good deeds done for the community is acknowledged here. The remaining 10% goes to every quiz bee one has participated in.
Okay, so to be able to present all this, one has to compile everything – a list with details of everything that an applicant has participated in, be it a minor or major event so long as it was official, reinforced with proper proof that the applicant has been there, such as certificates and awards. Without these so called proofs, the activity the applicant has joined will not be acknowledged, and will be considered void, even if he has been truly there. All of these will be compiled and be neatly arranged in what they call: the Bid Book. The Bid Books are what the screening committee will be mostly looking at, choosing among the applicants the best of the best, considering only those who are noticeably worthy. Bid Books passed by TOSP applicants are so thick, they have to put it in a hardbound cover so that its contents won’t spill. And Lorca wasn’t far behind when it came with his Bid Book.
Of course Lorca was after all human too, and he didn’t have that much confidence in his own book. What if the others had greater feats accomplished than him? What if they had international events participation and his own weren’t enough? It was normal he felt that way, and it only added to the excitement of this whole event. Of course Lorca too had notable accomplishments that simply cannot be waived off. When Lorca graduated, he was awarded with the Academic Distinction Award. He was likewise a National Board of Director of the United Architects of the Philippines Student Auxiliary – a national institution for Architecture Students. And get a load of this: he was a scholar of the Association of Filipino Architects in Washington D.C. And to be chosen as one among many architectural students in the Philippines is quite challenging because one should simply stand out. After all, Lorca turned out to have international feats too. Furthermore, he was the founder of the Recycle-Mania Project. A healthy competition among schools in Iloilo City wherein the “Pera sa Basura” concept is materialized, and total waste in Iloilo City is significantly reduced. These are just some of the events that according to Lorca, were memorable and precious to him. He didn’t want to say others more because surprisingly, he was shy about them. Now there’s one trait every Augustinian should possess: humility.
So now came the big TOSP event on the fourth week of April which lasted six days and five nights, where twenty chosen applicants in the region will be reduced to ten. It is here in this event where applicants are further enhanced as individuals, and are explained to them that every person there is not competition, but a fellow TOSPian as well. It was very pressuring for Lorca on the first day especially when he found out that among twenty of them, he was the only one without Latin honors. Talk about minor insecurities on his part, well of course in that situation, anyone can feel the same way. But that soon disappeared when explained to them about the non-competition-among-fellow-candidates thing. Meaning, if you were already there, you were already considered a TOSPian regardless of the end results, and everything that you do from day 1 to day 5 doesn’t add points to the probability that you can belong to the upper ten. It was a series of activities and training with no point system that simply helped individuals become better persons. So why not just get along with fellow companions, right? It all came down to the last event though, the interview part where the candidates will be interviewed one by one and will be judged according to how well or sincere he or she answers them. This is the basis for becoming the upper ten.
The days passed by smoothly for Lorca as he enjoyed the activities and discovered new friends along the way. Everyone turned out to be okay, and how everyone wished each one would belong to the upper ten. But that can’t be as they were twenty, can it? So everyone wished each other luck, and wished it sincerely.
The interview day came and all were crossing fingers. Each marched into the room and answered the questions as best as they can. Lorca was no exception to this. When it was his turn, the interviewers first asked him ice-breaker questions, to help him relax. It was a series of questions that looked out for inconsistencies and fluctuations in one’s answers. But Lorca did just fine. When he was asked with the final question, he passed it with flying colors as he knew the answers by heart. It was a very simple question really; he was asked what his plans for the community were after this whole TOSP thing is over. He answered truthfully by saying he wanted to help build a wastewater treatment where wastewater is treated organically, and as well further his recycling projects. It was but normal for Lorca to answer this way because he has a special and profound concern for the environment that I wished everyone possessed, including me.
The last day came, and the upper ten was revealed. Of course, Lorca belonged to them. Though he was the only one without Latin honors, it didn’t stop him from becoming one. When I asked him what he wanted to share to his fellow Augustinians who aspire to become a TOSPian, or rather an achiever in general, he had this to say: “Passion, motivation and determination are your tools that will aid you reach what you want. Always think right, and don’t stop until you reach that which you desire, for everyone can be outstanding too if he only wills himself to be so. Above all, look to God for guidance. Pray, for He will never leave you nor forsake, and give Him that which is due His.”
This is an invite to every person out there: we can be whatever we want to be as long as we put our hearts and minds to them. Problems and tribulations will surely come, but everyone gets them, don’t we all? It’s just a matter of how we would react to them. And if there’s one thing that I find is common among achievers that is worth acknowledging, is that they know what they want, and they reinforce it with preparation and proper action. In short, they’ve got intense goal setting. Lorca has it too, and he truly is a Remarkable Tekno. He is an inspiration, and there’s something in him that we should learn. Whatever that is, only we ourselves can tell. But what I do know is this, we are Teknos, and we sure do have the capability to be outstanding.