CLDHEI
Department of Nursing
“Beyond Hard Work: A Nursing Topnotcher on Loss, Faith, and the People Who Carried Him”
A nursing topnotcher on catching up, losing loved ones, and the people who carried him to the finish line.
When Jericho Samortin Reyes saw his name on the list of topnotchers for the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination—sixth place, 91.40% and disbelief hit him first. “Paano nangyari ‘yon?”
People often said it was because he was hardworking or intelligent. But if that were the whole truth, other names should have been on the list. There were students who worked harder and were smarter. Recognizing that is not humility—it is self-awareness. As Jericho says, “Even when you give your best, it will never feel like enough. You will always find something lacking. Still, you do your best anyway—not because it guarantees anything, but because it is the only part that is yours to give.”
Nursing was never his first choice. It was practical, a path that made sense. After first year, he considered quitting. Online classes made learning distant; he slept through lectures, passed some exams, failed others. Nothing about that version of him suggested he would one day become a topnotcher.
Everything changed in the third year. Face-to-face classes revealed gaps he had to fill. Two years of missed foundation loomed large. Overwhelmed, he started anyway, revisiting Anatomy, Physiology, and Fundamentals. Slowly, things began to make sense. Then came the spark—the first face-to-face exam he topped and from there, Ambition ignited.
By review season, he knew he was not the most prepared. Many had started earlier and already understood the concepts. So he studied alone, at his own pace, focusing on weaknesses. It was not the usual strategy, but it worked for him.
Even that does not fully explain it. There is a limit to effort. “You can only will and act, but the outcome is never fully yours to decide,” Jericho reflects. His faith filled the gaps, not performance or perfection.
His parents worked abroad since he was 15. His grandmother raised him, waking before four to cook and prepare everything without complaint. When she fell ill in his third year, Jericho rushed home. “Uwi ka. Nasa hospital si Lola mo.” Four months later, she was gone. “The one person who supported me all the way through wasn’t there to see me at the finish line,” he recalls.
Success came, but absence lingered. “You may forget your scores. You may forget your rank. But you will not forget the people who stood beside you, who believed in you, who carried you when you could not carry yourself. You may earn the title alone, but you never arrive there alone.”
As Reyes reflects, perhaps Nietzsche was right: “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Triumph is not measured in scores or honors—it is measured in the hearts of those who stood by you, who gave everything for your journey. Without them, you would have arrived nowhere.
Success Stories
For Talent and Duty
TOPNOTCHER NOVEMBER 2024
Jericho Samortin Reyes, RN
TOP 6 91.40%
From Sleepless Nights to Boardroom Triumph: A Nursing Student’s Journey
“A nursing student’s journey is never just about earning a degree—it is about becoming someone worthy of the uniform.”
For Sofia Karylle Concepcion, those words weren’t a slogan, they were a compass. On paper, her achievements are extraordinary: Magna Cum Laude and a 90.80 percent on the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination. Yet the numbers tell only part of the story.
Behind the accolades lies a quieter, harder truth: sleepless nights, endless hospital shifts, and moments when doubt felt heavier than textbooks. Like many nursing students, Concepcion balanced the weight of academic rigor with the emotional demands of patient care, often leaving her exhausted and questioning herself in the dark.
“There are struggles in nursing school that remain invisible—battles that happen long after the lights are turned off.”
And there were battles beyond the wards and classrooms. Misunderstandings, judgment, even bullying followed her ambition. Being labeled “too competitive” might have discouraged others, but for Concepcion, it only underscored a deeper drive—one rooted in family, responsibility, and the quiet promise to give back to her siblings.
“What appears as competition is often rooted in purpose.”
Her achievements were not spontaneous, they were the product of relentless discipline. She became a Dean’s Lister from 2021 to 2025, a full academic scholar, a student leader, and a representative in international nursing discussions that included peers from Japan, India, and the Philippines. Those discussions, she says, sharpened her perspective on healthcare delivery and her understanding of the role of nurses globally.
“Leadership, in its truest form, is not about titles, but about accountability.”
Even recognition—the Florence Nightingale Award, the Leadership Award, the Excellence Award—cannot fully capture the story behind them: the silent sacrifices, the nights spent staring at a ceiling, wondering if she was enough.
“Excellence is not defined by recognition, but by the discipline sustained in its absence.”
Preparing for the board exam demanded the same rigor: structured study schedules, relentless practice, and an unwavering focus on understanding rather than memorization. Her goal—to top the exam—was ambitious, and it pushed her to her limits. Yet she learned something most students discover only after the applause fades: titles can define a moment, but not a life.
“Titles and rankings may define a moment—but they do not define a life.”
Sofia’s story is a reminder of a tension nursing schools face everywhere: measurable success versus the human cost of sustaining it. Burnout is often normalized, yet endurance cannot exist without self-preservation. Mental and emotional well-being is not an optional luxury, it is central to the work itself.
“Success is not only about how much one achieves, but how well one sustains oneself in the process.”
Her journey is more than a blueprint for academic excellence. It is a testament to the quiet determination, purpose, and resilience that define the profession. It asks educators, institutions, and society to look beyond numbers and honor the human effort that makes nurses who they are.
“It is found in consistency, in purpose, and in the quiet decision to keep going.”
And as she faces the world of work, Concepcion offers a message to aspiring nurses everywhere:
“Consistency beats perfection. Show up every day, even when it is hard. Build habits that align with your goals. Surround yourself with people who uplift you. And never lose sight of why you chose nursing in the first place. Excellence is not accidental. It is intentional. It is built on perseverance, fueled by passion, and sustained by purpose. And if I was able to do it, so can you.”
MAGNA CUM LAUDE BATCH 2025