From an eye of a PABT Scholar during this pandemic

By: Jianne Peregrino, PABT Scholar

Education is an important aspect of Filipino culture because it is seen as a necessity to support family and to help others in the family to their road for higher education. Extended families are usually there to help any relatives with schooling, but since most of my family is in the Philippines, the Philippine Association of Beaumont Texas is my family here in Texas. The association’s scholarship has helped me tremendously in my road to become a nurse. My friends and family in the association have inspired me to become a nurse and help the people around me.

This pandemic has given me an insight at how hard healthcare workers strive to provide care for not only those affected by COVID-19, but also patients in the hospital for reasons other than COVID. Watching my parents come home from the hospital even more exhausted than usual and hearing their stories about what happens during their shift makes me realize the severity of the pandemic and how people are not taking the matter seriously.

Quarantine is also not an excuse for me to slack off because classes have gone online, but to prioritize my education by attending any online classrooms being held even if optional in order to assure I am not falling behind in any classes. Keeping in contact with friends and classmates to help with homework and classes is vital during quarantine to retain some normalcy while staying at home. Keeping structure during quarantine is also essential in order to maintain a balance of schoolwork and free time. Staying at home has given me more time to focus on my studies without much distraction because there’s only so much to do while being quarantined.