By Dr. Editha T. Jao, Principal of Nabunturan National Comprehensive High School

That sweet victory made him instantly famous. He clearly figured out how a loving mother and a supportive father manifested a radiant smile after his unanticipated victory. He saw how the people in his town apparently perceived him as an epitome of a student, an artist and a son worthy of emulation.

Too much happiness contained him. Until a tap of his mother’s loving hand awakened him from a deep slumber. It was just a dream. Suddenly, an untamed desolation engulfed him with crippling strength.

He thought that victory was real. But his loving mother repeatedly comforted him saying, “You are still very young. Continue dreaming. Use wisely the hands that God purposely bestowed upon you to make your dreams come true. Such extraordinary skill will bring you to a greater height one day.”

Kim Patrick Saren was just a little boy when he started to get fascinated with pencils and colors. He wanted to learn the art of representing an object on his mind; of outlining a figure out of his imagination; and of delineating lines in order to form something that is pleasant to the human eyes.

He grew up being delighted to see his father doing various artworks as source of living. He spent his time drawing and painting rather than playing with children his age. He took care of the hands that brought him public acclamation in and out of the school.

He tasted a number of wins and a dose of various defeats. When victory seems unattainable, he wanted to quit and develop other hobby instead. But his dream is much bigger than his frustrations. His vision to succeed is much clearer than the sight of failure. He took his valued brushes once again and started to regain his desire to pursue his dream with an added courage and support from his parents.

Like a thief in the night, the Doodle for Google tilt came at his door. He thought of letting such opportunity pass by. But his mother’s words of wisdom repeatedly echoed on his mind. He was driven by his family’s constant love and support; much more driven by the aim of his coach, Mr. Christopher Vista, SPA Visual Arts specialist, to show to the world how valuable and interesting Philippine literature is despite the emergence of various outside influences.

Kim’s masterpiece featured the Philippine jeepney and Sarimanok making it “Sarijeepney” with the Google word artistically expressed in the front parts of the jeepney. He wanted to remind every Filipino that despite the pangs of poverty and individual differences among Filipinos, the Sarimanok and its multicolored feathers and the jeepney as a Filipino symbol of simplicity and hard work will give us wisdom to even strive harder.

He never saw a ray of hope when he joined Doodle for Google. He believed he was just there because the school sent him there with his coach. The display of wonderful artworks coming from the other 50,000 entries blocked him from seeing even a very little chance of winning.

While waiting for the announcement of winners, he felt a sudden grip of despair. He closed his eyes and all of a sudden, he saw a very familiar scenario. He became instantly famous. His loving mother and supportive father manifested a very radiant smile on their faces. He saw how the people in his town celebrated victory with him. He saw his fellow students looking up to him as a source of inspiration.

A tap of his trainer’s hand awakened him saying, “Kim, nakadaog ta! (Kim, we won!)” It was not a dream anymore. It was real. And no matter how he closed his eyes again and again, the reality confronted him that finally he has fulfilled his dream.

That was the sweetest victory that Nabunturan National Comprehensive High School (NNCHS) has ever achieved few days after I assumed office. The school is expected to receive a P350, 000.00 worth of Wifi Connectivity along with Kim Patrick’s P400,000.00 Scholarship grant as his major prize.

His victory brought NNCHS to a greater height of fame. He became the driving force of the other students to achieve excellence in the different facets of learning.  Evident to that is the consecutive success of his fellow students in academic and extra-curricular activities in and outside the school. And now, the school has been regarded as the home of achievers.

According to Kim Patrick, he may have fulfilled one of the best dreams of his life but that doesn’t mean he has to stop dreaming.

“I will keep moving forward. I will continue to dream like what my mother told me while I was younger. I am so thankful of these hands. I will use them wisely,” he said.

For Kim, he will use his hands to encourage fellow artists like him to reach for their dreams no matter how impossible it could be; to make passion a reality and to fulfill God’s purpose of giving us unique gifts in life.