To the Journalist Who Believed in Me

Ella Rendon

Who would’ve thought that a campus journalist who started late would have her voice echo loudly on a national level?

I always knew I loved writing. There was a certain rhythm to it—a kind of momentum my hand felt whenever pen met paper. My thoughts came alive in ink. I wrote with intent, but it was only through campus journalism that my passion found a deeper purpose and meaning.

Contrary to who I am on camera, I’m only loud in places where I feel familiar.  I only start to open up as time goes by, which makes me often doubt my own abilities.

Still, there were teachers who believed in me before I fully believed in myself. So I took a chance. I joined campus journalism holding onto one simple goal: if my writing could inspire even one person, then maybe I could finally call myself a writer.

I showed up for our school’s radio broadcasting and scriptwriting tryouts with nothing but passion and a blank page.

Beside me was an experienced radio broadcaster, confidently rehearsing his script while mine still remained empty. I watched him in awe. There was always this certain “kilig” that I had for campus journ. He looked back, and somehow, that moment turned into friendship. He taught me the basics of broadcasting, lessons that would quietly shape the path I was about to take.

But fear still lingered. I was too scared to join the broadcasting tryouts. I had mine earlier than the rest so that no one but the coach would hear me.

In the end, I didn’t make the cut. Masyado raw kasing mahinhin ang boses ko.

So I tried sports writing next, but broadcasting never left my mind. It became my “Roman Empire” and the idea I kept coming back to. Then came DSPC, and with it, a new category, which is mobile journalism (MoJo).

I didn’t have an event since I lost the tryouts, but I was chosen to represent the school simply because I had already been creating content on my TikTok account my friends and I started which is AdDU Motivational, just a bunch of skits and interviews.

I had no formal training. So I learned everything from scratch. I attended workshops. I consumed every resource I could find. I woke up at 4 a.m.  just to secure community interviews. I pushed myself harder than I ever had before. I wanted to win. After losing so many times, I wanted something more. I wanted to reach nationals.

But even after all that effort, I placed second.

There were no regionals for MoJo at the time, and that second place felt heavier than it should have. It was a difficult truth to accept. Slowly, the dream of nationals faded, and I began to think that maybe I would just pursue this passion outside the classroom.

But sometimes, defeat is where everything truly begins.

After that loss, a senior approached me, and another intensive training started there. He didn’t just teach me technical skills in broadcasting; he taught me how to become my own kind of journalist.

Not long after, I discovered Explained PH.

It was also their first coverage for the Nationals Schools Press Conference back in 2024.  And I saw that they were recruiting members who won in the nationals. You could already guess how I was feeling at that time. Sad? No. Determined? VERY.

Through their page, I saw how young journalists like me could go beyond the campus, telling stories that mattered. I joined JournUnleashed and messaged their (now our) Editor-in-Chief, Archie Bergosa, telling how grateful I was for the opportunity to learn from them.

I remember asking him if mobile journalism will ever have a place in the org. And a year later, everything changed.

My efforts bore fruit. I won at the division level in mobile journalism, guided by the senior who believed in me. I didn’t expect to compete at regionals since MoJo was only an exhibition event, but eventually, I did. And I won. Then one notification popped up “join explained!” which caught me in disbelief. How? How can a newbie like me get an opportunity like this?

Last year, being part of Explained PH was just a fever dream, even something I’d think about in the middle of the day. I even manifested it through TikTok sounds and reposts. And to my surprise, I finally achieved my dream (huhuhu). I still remember when Chief told me: “The best way to give back is to share it with others.” and that has always left a mark deep into my heart.

Even as a “baguhan”, he entrusted me with leadership. After my first NSPC coverage in Vigan City, I was given the opportunity to serve as the Digicast Division Head of Explained PH. I experienced a lot of firsts in my JOURNey and I’ve learned so many things only I could learn through the opportunities Explained has given me.

From then on, I promised myself I wouldn’t let that opportunity go to waste.

Now, this is my second time covering the NSPC. I may not have won NSPC last year, and I may not have qualified this year. But seeing how mobile journalism became so known when I first started made me realize that inspiring others isn’t enough to be called a writer; you yourself must learn to be inspired by what you write first. You must first become your own believer.

Because if there was one thing Explained PH gave me, it’s something far greater than a medal.

It gave me a different kind of championship: to start even when I’m not ready, to give all that I have even if it’s not enough, and to serve the community by sharing the blessings I have ever received to all the journalists who believed in me.

I am not the best journalist, and I still have so much to learn. But because of Explained PH, I have found my voice echoing louder than ever before.

Thank you, Explained PH, for believing in someone like me, not because I was the best, but because I was someone you trusted to be great.

In my first year with the organization, as it celebrates six years of serving beyond the campus, I carry forward the same belief that started it all: that even the smallest voice, when given the chance, can echo far beyond what it ever imagined.