Explained extinguished the flames of doubt, but fanned the flames for my love of science

I have said this and I will say it again: ‘Science is my first love’ but I never would have thought that my passion for science would bring me to another field–and certainly, I would never have expected to fall in love again with science in Explained PH. 

Five years ago, Explained was born; but if you told me by then that I had a shot at journalism, I would have not believed you.

A year ago, if you told me, a newly-appointed editor for Explained PH’s science and technology (S&T) desk, that I would clinch a medal in the National Schools Press Conference, I would not have believed you.

And the reason why I would have not believed you, is because I was skeptical–probably a by-product of the scientist heart of mine.

Archie, our editor-in-chief, along with Aera, from copyediting, joke on how I first introduced myself in Valenzuela–an “academe boy,” one who was too immersed with science to even have an eventful life.

To be fair, I was an “academe boy.” Research has been my bread and butter since 2020–five years ago. I was still an uninitiate in campus journalism, and found myself enjoying the dense laboratory work and praised the principle that is “publish or perish.”

But when I had been given the chance to become a campus journalist in 2022, I was placed in S&T writing–something that had been close to my heart. In actuality, it took me four years to be able to qualify for our school’s journalism organization, The Echo. For one, it was probably a blessing in disguise; a way for me to understand that this was the fate-driven field that was matched with me.

First time that I tried, I won the regionals, placing in third. For me, who was a neophyte, winning third was good, but I knew I had to do better.

Then Explained came in. By 2024, I had already been in the Training and Development division for over a year, helping create the platform ai.explained.ph, along with Avril and JV, in 2023.

On June 9th, Archie asked me whether I was fit to be an editor. This took me aback, fearing that I cannot take the position well. I had my skepticism on my skills, but I unrelentingly took the job. Little did I know, this would be among the reasons why I would win the National Schools Press Conference in July of that same year–finishing in a cool second place.

Explained never let me down, and I am not to do so too. They never obscured anything from me to improve, and now, it is my goal to serve the people in science. I have never thought about journalism and science to catalyze the life I have now, but I am glad that Explained allowed for it to happen. 

Archie and Jhewen always tell me that taking rest is important–and it’s okay to build from scratch, but that doesn’t mean we can bounce back. Now, in my second and a little more so years in Explained, I aim to forward further, helping the young skepticists to find their love in either science or journalism, or even both.

And for me, a former “academe boy” turned science communicator, it helps me appreciate Explained more–not only as a journalism platform but also as a way to bridge people. 

If it weren’t for Explained, I would not have met the great minds, students, and a companion along the way. If it weren’t for me taking a risk in a reaction that I never would have thought would catalyze, my life would have been different today.

It made me realize that science isn’t confined to the four corners of the laboratory, nor the pages upon pages of research that is made out of the principles of “publish or perish;” rather, it is an affair that should be best vested to the needs of the people, and we, as science communicators, are the ones who should initiate this movement.

Science is my first love, but Explained made me fall harder for science.