My Smart Story : My Life Made Extraordinary Contest - JOIN NOW!

TechPinas Founder Notes (TPFN) # 2 : Of Extraordinary Moments

I've been a Smart subscriber since high school - that's during the late 90's - and I can honestly say that Smart has been with me through some of my life's most heart-warming and extraordinary moments.

Of course, those moments now seem innumerable -- these include receiving that relieving phone call from a college friend telling me I passed the final exam of that dreaded Econometrics subject, getting that first 'Mark, you're hired. You can start Monday next week.' text message, updating TechPinas on the road using Smart Bro, exchanging mushy words with someone I liked back in college over the phone, sending my folks a text message that I've already arrived in Singapore for my first TechPinas event outside the country last year, among so many others.



But if there's one important event that Smart became part of that I will always remember, it's that call I made to my parents back in in High School telling them that I passed Ateneo College Entrance Exam.

You see, Ateneo de Manila has always been my dream school but I never really imagined that I could enter it one day. I came from a poor family and the thought of entering a prestigious university for college seemed like a fleeting dream. But I guess miracles do happen and God is definitely good.

I remember, the envelopes containing ACET results arrived in our classroom around January or February 2000. It was lunchtime. I was eating my baon, sitting beside a friend, when our class president handed me my envelope. On the upper left corner, it read 'Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Schools'. I remember opening it slowly using just a few fingers as some were oily from the food I was eating. With food in my mouth, I read the greetings, introductions, and then finally, it said I passed and the university is inviting me to complete my registration -- leaving my mouth wide-open (yup, with all that rice inside). It was truly an amazing life moment. I immediately took out my trusty Nokia 5110 and gave my mom a call. "Ma! Pumasa ako sa Ateneo!," I vividly remember telling her. And I will never forget the joy in her voice upon hearing the good news.

But then, in the middle of the conversation, I remembered that I wasn't able to submit the scholarship form along with the ACET application -- I guess I just never imagined that I can actually pass the exam; moreso, as a scholar. Hence, my acceptance letter came without any scholarship package.

This marked the beginning of a whole new adventure for me and my parents -- going to Ateneo to file a rather late scholarship application. Eventually though, thanks to Ateneo's generosity and my parents' faith, dedication and resilience, I got my 100% Tuition and Fees Scholarship. How it happened exactly calls for a whole separate Smart Story. :)

How about you? What's your Smart Story?



Share your story about how Smart became a part of your life's extraordinary moments and get a chance to win Php 100,000 and have your story featured on a television commercial!

This promo is open to all SMART Subscribers. To join, participants must submit a story about how a SMART service, technology, or innovation made an extraordinary moment in their lives possible.
Stories may be submitted as: A 3-5 minute video or a written entry 200 to 500 words long. Entries can be submitted on the SMART website, at select SMART Store outlets and partner radio stations. The best story as determined by a panel of judges wins P100,000 and will be featured as the next SMART TV ad. Participants may enter multiple times but can only win once. A special "People's Choice Award" with a cash prize of P10,000 will be given to the participant who gathers the highest number of "Likes" on the website. There will be a weekly raffle with five winners each of P300 load for participants who submit online from May 8 to June 30, 2011.
Deadline for submissions is midnight of June 30, 2011.

TP friends, you may submit your entries HERE. JOIN NOW!