GO THE DISTANCE
A first impression should not be enough but it was clear in that moment that his dreams were alight in his eyes.
Mr. Razced Pagoli is a youth seemingly unbound by his limitations that he wants to become many things in the media. He wants to be a renowned writer, a broadcaster and even a TV actor. It is his conviction in these opportunities that motivates him to keep moving forward no matter what challenges might try to stop him in his tracks.
As a student in high school, Mr. Pagoli encountered a defining crossroad: civil engineering and mass communication. While he was inspired by GMA broadcasters like Mike Enriquez to be a media practitioner, he was persuaded by his family to be an engineer instead. So in college, he took civil engineering as his course at Saint Louis University. After a year though, he encountered the crossroad for the second time. He stood in the path of engineering but his gaze was on mass communication. It was then when he took the leap that the first of opportunities opened for him which was pursuing his passion.
Yet no dream that someone strives to achieve is easy. Mr. Pagoli was no exception to the struggles of being a mass communication student especially during his production days. He had many sleepless nights trying to write scripts, news and feature stories. Furthermore, his small, stuttering voice made him feel as if he was incapable of being a news anchor after all. He also didn’t have the essential skill in video editing that he could have quitted at any moment. He never did and so he continued viewing his experiences as a mass communication student as well as a member of the Repertory Theater to be rewarding and fruitful.
In 2019, Mr. Pagoli finally managed to graduate and applied for a job at every media outlet he could find in Baguio city. These media outlets included IFM, DZWD, RGMA and Bombo Radyo. He also auditioned at Eat Bulaga and while he wasn’t accepted for television, two of his applications in Baguio were approved. For two years now, he has been working as a DJ in Bombo Radyo. Similarly to his college days, he was faced with challenges at work including two complaints for him being an unfit reporter. He wanted to quit again but his co-workers supported him and told him that challenges should always motivate him to be a better media practitioner. His refusal to his limitations had been visible in his perseverance and hard work which is allowing him to keep his dreams and reach for more of it not only for his family but also for other people who want him to represent their stories truthfully in today’s media.
And so with dreams alight in his eyes, he encourages future mass communication aspirants and professionals alike to tend to their skills and to their emotions as these two components are keys to being a good and successful public servant. Unbound and unafraid, we can all go the distance.
