Around Pavilion 2 in Palma Hall, one would typically encounter a nerdy-looking guy called CJ sitting in a corner, reading either a book by Michel Foucault or a Japanese literary piece. He is John Carlos Duque, a BA History student and one of the brightest minds among his peers.
Duque’s passion for studying the past is beyond question. His desire to tell the stories of people whose narratives in history book pages are often forgotten is what kept him motivated to pursue the program. This only intensified with the ongoing attempts of historical distortion by the current regime, invalidating and erasing the narratives of those who suffered during the Martial Law years.
“Lumabas ka lang, tapos isipin mong may mga taong hindi nabibigyan ng pagkakataong mailabas ‘yung kwento nila. And for me, as a student of history na nag-de-delve with narratives, nag-aaral ako hindi lang para sa akin o sa pamilya ko, nag-aaral din ako para mailahad ko rin ‘yung kuwento nila,” he said.
Duque is one of the three summa cum laude graduates from the UP Department of History this year. But achieving that title wasn’t a smooth-sailing voyage for him. From surviving most of his studies through remote learning, to leading an organization in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic, his college years have been grueling just like for most UP students.
He grew up in a simple family. He figured out that the only way to repay them is to bring home a college diploma with the highest honor on its label. Despite his father being an electrician in Qatar, his income wasn’t always enough for them. As a result, Duque primarily relied on financial support and lived with his grandmother.
Contrary to what most of his friends think, he is not the student who only has academic tasks on their mind every hour. He doesn’t have any specific study habits either. But Duque highlighted the importance of having time for leisure activities, to minimize stress as possible. He likes, for example, to go outside their house at night to wander around their neighborhood and think about nothing.
This is his coping mechanism to deal with the online class fatigue that all students experienced during the pandemic. The heavy workload of papers and readings is enough to affect his mental health. But for him, conquering all of them, as well as surviving being the president of UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan in an online setup, is the crowning achievement he is most proud of accomplishing.
He didn’t do them alone, however. His peers not only served as his emotional support but also his intellectual buddies, spending time to chat about academic theories and perspectives with them to enhance their learning experience. Learning to have fun in his studies with his friends played a huge role in what he is as a student today.
Duque getting the summa cum laude title is not surprising for most of the people around him. He admits being ecstatic about the title, but he is trying all his might to not let it get over his head. For him, there is more to him than possessing a Latin honor: he is also a future historian willing to serve the people.
As he marched toward the end of his undergraduate years, Duque vowed to himself that he would continue to advocate for teaching history for the masses. “Ang kasaysayan ay shared experience, kailangan hindi lang tayong nasa loob ng pamantasan ang nakakaalam [nito], dapat lahat magkaroon ng access dito,” he said. ●
