Dana Ba Nana: The Young Achiever

Dana Ba Nana: The Young Achiever

January 1, 2015
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It was in December 2014 when I first saw her together with a faculty member, a photographer, a male model, and a librarian. Except for the photographer, all the rest are from Aklan Catholic College, Kalibo, Aklan.

They were having a photo shoot inside the Aklan Catholic College Library (ACC).

I am referring to Mel Constantino, a faculty member; Darlene Braza, a Librarian;  a photographer, and a college student. And the model I am referring to is known as Dana Ba Nana. I knew it was just her Facebook name.  

While they were doing their photo shooting, I could hear Mr. Constantino  saying "Ah" before taking every picture. I could also see that the model looks like a professional model.

After their photo shooting, the model and her male companion sat inside the librarian’s  office.

It was only then that I came near them and requested if I could also take them some pictures. They agreed.

In our short conversation, I learned that her real name is Dana So Bartolome.  She is a native of Kalibo and presently studying in Aklan Catholic College. She said that her grandfather was a pure Chinese, while her grandmother was a pure Filipino.
Because I have observed that Filipino-Chinese children are very good in mathematics., I asked if her favorite subject is mathematics. But she said NO. I like science subjects.
But her elder brother is very good in math.

Dana was born on November 12, 1991 in Kalibo, Aklan.  She took her primary education at Aklan Learning Center. She continued her studies at Aklan Valley High School.  Before she came to Aklan Catholic College, she took an Associate in Information Technology degree at Aklan State University, College of Information Technology (ASU-CIT), Banga, Aklan.  At ACC, she is taking up Bachelor of Elementary Education. She is now in her fourth year.

While in high school, she was awarded as Best in English.
When I inquired if is engaged in literary works, she said she tried. One of her feature articles was published in Raven, an official student publication in Navas, Aklan. Her other literary works were lost when Typhoon Frank hit Kalibo.

That was the start of her numerous achievements.

In 2007, she was elected as SK Chairperson until 2010. And while she was an SK Chairperson, she was chosen as Mutya it Kalibo Ati-Atihan 2009. She however was not happy with her public service experience.
She said: “I wasn't that productive po Sir when I was in the position. There were too much hindrances. And I  was still young. But the projects I had were basketball, boxing, the arc sa pagwelcome sa among barangay, and a few meters of cementing the road po. I wish I were as smart and brave enough at that time para magpursue sa other things na gusto ko matabo. Pero I’m thankful naman po na naexperienced ko doon dahil I learned a lot. Every experience is an opportunity to learn well, Sir.”

Her latest achievement is the 2014 ACC Quest for Ms Personality.

When I asked her if she plans to enter any beauty contests, she said no.

What she wants is to be a teacher. And more.  She wants to establish a foundation that will someday help in establishing a school of her own. Here is what she told me:

“Aside from being a teacher po Sir, I  would really like to have my own school, and expand it into a college. Gusto ko may foundation po ako para makabulig ako kapin pa sa mga inunga. Gusto ko maging inspirasyon kanda ag mabuksan ro anda nga potential po. I will attain these through educating myself, getting the credentials I would need, exposing myself to the kinds of problems na naeencounter it mga mabuligan ko, finding the right people na makabulig man kakon with the same or almost the same passion as I have, being open minded; ag dapat yumaman ako Sir. Gapati abi ako Sir nga dapat mabuligan ko anay ang sarili para mas makabulig ako sa iba.”

In that case, I told her that she must have enough knowledge on educational management. And she must have enough money to establish a school.

So I asked her if her parents are engaged in business.

“Not at present Sir. Noon po, very small lang.We lived in a small sari-sari store in our home where the table flips into a bed during night time po. Then nagkaroon man kami it 3 tricycles po yata. Unfortunately, nalugi kasi laging nasisira.  Si Mama lang dayun du gawork as a teacher;  si Papa bilin kamon sa baeay magbantay. We again opened a sari-sari store. For almost 2 years we had a good income from that store because many  students passed by our store.. Unfortunately, the pathway where the students used to pass was closed by the owner of the school. So  once again our sari-sari business was discontinued."

These little experiences on their sari-sari store and her background on public service must have triggered her to establish a school of her own to help the children in their community reach their dreams.

I hope that her dream will come through.